HISTORY  OF  THE 


Postage    Stamps 


—  OF  THE  — 


UNITED  STATES  OF 


BY  JOHN  K.  TIFFANY, 


Author  of  THE  PHILATELICAL  LIBRARY, 

President  of  the  American  Philatelic  Association  and  of  the  St.    Louis 

Philatelic  Society.     Honorary  Member  of  the  Philatelic  Society 

of  London.     Conesponding  Member  of  the  Societe 

Frangaise  de  Timbrologie,  the  Societies  of 

Dresden,  Wiirtemburg,  Etc. 


1887: 

C.  H.  MEKEEL,  PHILATELIC  PUBLISHER, 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO 


Copyrighted  by  J.   K:  Tiffany,   1886. 
All  Rights  reserved. 


ERRATA 


Page  96,  3d  line  from  top,  for  <?jc  lilac  read  24  cents. 

Page  102  in  lines  5,  6,  7  and  8  from  bottom  in  last  col- 
umn for  F2  G2  H2  I2  read  F4  G4  H4  I4. 

Page  103  in  lines  16  to  20  in  second  column  for  S2  T2 
U2  V2  W2  read  S3  T3  U3  V3  W3. 

Page  104  5th  line  from  bottom,  omit  u  in  "pro- 
longued." 

Page  143, 9th  line  from  top  for  "follows"  read  "above." 

Page  144,  last  line  supply  ''test  of"  in  the  blank. 

Page  196,  4th  line  from  top  for  (")  read  "cochineal.'" 

Page  196,  6th  line  from  top,  for  "12  cents"  read  "75 
cents." 


CONTENTS. 


PORTRAIT  OF  J.  K.  TIFFANY (Frontispiece). 

PREFACE 9 

INTRODUCTION  . . 13 


CHAPTER  I, 
II, 
III, 
IV, 
V, 
VI, 
VII, 
VIII, 
IX, 

x, 

XI, 

XII, 

XIII, 

XIV, 

XV, 

XVI, 

XVII, 

XVIII, 

XIX, 

XX, 

XXI, 

XXII, 

XXIII, 

XXIV, 

XXV, 

XXVI, 

XXVII, 

XXVIII 

XXIX, 


U.  S.  City  Dispatch  Post  .......  19 

Uniform  Postage  ..............  23 

Postmasters'  Stamps  ...........  26 

Stamp  of  the  N.  Y.  Postmaster.  29 


Stamps  of  the  St.  Louis      "  36 

Stamp  of  the  Brattleboro  "          48 
Stamp  of  the  New  Haven  '  '          51 
Stamps  of  the  Providence  "  54 

Stamp  of  the  Alexandria   "  60 

Stamps  of  the  Baltimore    "  62 

Stamp  of  the  Millbury       "  65 

Stamped  Env.  of  Wash'n  "  67 

Stamps  of  the  Phila'lphia  "  69 

Stamp  of  the  Worcester     "  70 

Stamp  of  the  Pittsfield       "          71 
Observations  .................  72 

The  Issue  of  1847  ..............  74 

The  Issue  of  1851  .............  81 

The  Issue  of  1857  ..............  110 

The  Issue  of  1861  ..............  122 

The  Issue  of  1867-69  ..........  137 

The  Issue  of  1869  .............  144 

The  Issue  of  1870  ..............  158 

Postage  Due  Stamps  ...........  198 

Special  Delivery  Stamp  ........  204 

Newspaper  and  Periodial  St'ps  209 
Official  Stamps  ................  227 

Official  Seals  ..................  249 

Reprints  ......................  254 

INDEX  .............................................  267 

PUBLISHER'S  ANNOUNCEMENTS...  ..275 


PREFACE. 

In  seeking  for  information  concerning  the  post- 
age stamps  of  the  United  States,  we  shall  turn  in 
vain  to  sources  which  have  furnished,  in  other  coun- 
tries, such  accurate  details  in  regard  to  the  stamps 
issued  by  their  postal  authorities,  for  the  stamps 
authorized  by  the  United  States  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment are  not  manufactured  by  the  government,  and 
there  is  no  "stamp  office"  to  authenticate  each 
plate,  and  register  the  number  of  sheets  made  from 
it,  and  no  edict,  proclamation  or  law  informs  the  pub- 
lic of  the  values  authorized  for  use, or  of  the  designs, 
or  other  peculiarities  of  the  stamps  to  be  employed. 
The  Postmaster  General  is  authorized,  in  general 
terms  of  the  law, to  provide  such  stamps  as  he  may, 
from  time  to  time,  judge  most  convenient  and  expe- 
dient for  the  collection  of  the  postal  rates  fixed  by 
other  laws,  and  is  required  to  have  them  manufac- 
tured by  those  who,  under  general  provisions  of 
other  laws  regulating  all  government  work,  offer  to 
do  it  at  the  lowest  price. 


The  proposals  for  such  work  and  the  contracts 
made  with  the  parties  successful  in  the  competition, 
reserve  the  right  to  the  Postmaster  General  to  change 
the  values,  designs,  etc.  from  time  to  time  as  he  may 
judge  expedient,  and  specify  nothing  as  to  these 
particulars,  while  they  are  very  specific  as  to  the 
quality  of  the  work,  and  the  precautions  to  be  observ- 
ed in  the  manufacture,  to  prevent  pecuniary  loss  to 
the  Department.  A  government  official  inspects  the 
work  in  order  that  it  may  conform  in  quality  to  the 
contract,  and  the  records  are  kept  of  the  number  of 
stamps  of  each  value  made  and  turned  over  to  the 
Department,  without  further  specifications.  In  a 
word,  no  record  is  preserved  of  how  many  stamps  of 
any  particular  design,  paper,  water -mark, perforation 
or  other  peculiarity,  are  made,  or  of  the  date  of  the 
adoption  of  any  of  these  things.  Third  Assistant 
Postmaster  General  Ireland,  during  his  term  of  office, 
once  wrote  "It  has  always  surprised  me  that  the 
Department  has  never  kept  any  official  history  of  its 
stamps."  Many  of  these  details  might  be  gathered 
no  doubt  from  the  very  voluminous  correspondence 
between  the  Department  and  the  several  contract- 
ors, if  it  were  accessible,  but  upon  investigation  it 
appears  that  many  interesting  changes  have  been 
made  upon  mere  verbal  instructions. 

We  shall  have  therefore  to  rely  upon  quite  dif- 
ferent sources  for  our  information.  Fortunately 
the  enterprise  of  collectors  has  probably  discovered 
all  the  varieties  of  the  stamps  themselves,  and  only 
a  careful  study  of  them  is  necessary  to  their  complete 


— 11  — 

description.  The  materials  upon  which  the  pres- 
ent work  is  based  were  gathered  together  mostly  as 
accident  threw  them  into  the  hands  of  the  author, 
from  time,  to  time,  without  any  attempt  at  system- 
atic research  or  arrangement,  until  at  the  request  of 
J.  B.  Moens,  of  Brussells,  they  were  arranged  to 
form  a  volume  of  his  "  Bibliotheque  Des  Timbro- 
philes."  The  annual  reports  of  the  Postmaster 
General  have  furnished  some  points  of  interest  di- 
rectly and  many  inferentially ;  the  circulars  notify- 
ing postmasters  of  the  more  important  changes,  a 
nearly  complete  file  of  which  has  been  consulted, 
have  been  a  great  guide  ;  while  frequently  very  inter- 
esting details  have  been  extracted  from  the  files  of 
contemporaneous  daily  papers  ;  and  the  published  re- 
sults of  the  researches  of  such  indefatigable  investiga- 
tors as  Messrs.  Bagg,  Brown  and  Scott,  inthePhila- 
telical  Press,  and  the  articles  of  Cosmopolitan  and 
Scott  have  been  freely  drawn  upon.  Many  large  col- 
lections have  been  kindly  submitted  for  inspection, 
in  particular  those  of  Messrs  Van  Derlip,  Sterling 
and  Casey,  and  thus  we  are  able  to  describe  every 
stamp  and  essay  from  actual  specimens,  except  in  a 
few  instances  specially  noted.  While  there  may  be 
possible  omissions,  the  reader  may  feel  assured  of 
the  existence  of  everything  described. 

Frequent  demands  for  the  translation  of  the 
French  work  have  led  to  the  present  publication. 
But  as  that  work  was  prepared  to  conform  to  the 
general  plan  of  the  works  compiled  for  the  series 
of  M.  Moens'  Bibliotheque,  it  contained  many 


—  12  — 

things,  concerning  the  history  and  customs  of  the 
post  office  of  the  United  States,  which  the  American 
collector  is  supposed  to  know,  and  omitted  some 
details  concerning  the  part  played  by  various  col- 
lectors and  dealers  in  finding  out  the  particulars  of 
the  history  of  certain  stamps  and  like  matters,  which 
it  was  thought  might  be  interesting  to  our  home  col- 
lectors, but  which  the  impersonal  character  of  the 
French  Series  made  it  advisable  to  omit  in  the  orig- 
inal compilation. 

The  entire  work  has  been  therefore  largely  recast 
in  the  hope  of  making  it  more  acceptable  to  Ameri- 
can collectors,  and  in  several  instances  comments 
have  been  made  upon  stamps  that  were  not  men- 
tioned in  the  French  edition,  in  order  to  correct  cer- 
tain erroneous  views  entertained  concerning  them 
in  this  country,  which  it  was  supposed  was  suffi- 
ciently accomplished  by  their  omission  in  the  other 
series, 

St.  Louis,  August,  1886. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  1676  John  Hey  ward,  by  the  authority  of  Gen- 
eral Court  of  the  Colony  of  Massachu  setts,  established 
his  postal  system  with  its  office  in  Boston,  In  1683 
the  government  of  Penn  established  a  postal  system 
for  the  Colony  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1700  Col.  J. 
Hamilton  organized  "his  postal  establishment  for 
British  America  "  including  all  the  English  colonies, 
but  soon  after  disposed  of  his  right  to  the  English 
crown.  In  1710  the  English  Parliament  established 
by  law  the  first  governmental  postal  system  with 
the  general  office  at  New  York,  which  continued 
until  in  1776  the  Continental  Congress  adopted  and 
set  in  action  the  postal  system  proposed  by  Frank- 
lin, who  was  appointed  the  first  Postmaster  General. 
The  first  law  of  the  Federal  Congress  continued  this 
system  in  operation  as  sufficient  for  the  public 
wants,  but  the  postal  service  was  not  finally  settled 
until  the  act  of  1792. 

This  law  (1792)  fixed  a  tariff  which  with  unimpor- 
tant changes  remained  in  force  until  the  adoption 


—  14  — 


of  the  system  of  Uniform  Postage  in  the  United 
States.  Single,  double  and  triple  letters  were 
charged  8,  16  and  24  cents  respectively  when  sent 
to  other  countries,  and  four  cents  plus  the  internal 
postage  when  arriving  from  foreign  countries.  The 
internal  postage  between  offices  in  the  United  States 
was  6,  8,  10,  15,  17,  20,  22  and  25  cents  for  dis- 
tances of  30,  60,  100,  150,  200,  250,  350,  or  400 
miles  respectively  for  single  letters,  and  double, 
triple,  etc.,  this  for  double,  triple,  etc.  letters.  A 
single  letter  was  defined  by  the  law  to  be  a  single 
sheet  or  piece  of  paper,  a  double  letter,  two  sheets 
or  pieces  of  paper,  etc. ,  etc. 

The  following  acts  of  Congress  may  be  consulted  with 
advantage,  by  those  curious  with  regard  to  the  Post  Office 
before  the  introduction  of  stamps. 

I  Congress,     I  Session.    Chap.  16. 


I 
I 

II 

III 

V 

XI 

XIII 

XIV 

XIV 

XIX 

XX 

XXVII 


II 

III 

I 

I 

III 

II 

III 

I 

I 

II 

I 

II 


Sept.,    1780 
Aug..    1790 
March.  1791 
Feb..      1792 
8  May. 
2  March 
37.  30  April, 
16,  23  Dec.. 
7.    1  Feb., 
43,    9  April, 


36. 
23. 
27. 
23. 
41. 


1794 
1799 
1810 
1814 
1815 
1816 


61, 
61, 
43, 


3  March.  1825 
3  March,  1827 
2  March.  1845 


The  earliest  letters  which  we  have  seen,  consist  of 
single  sheets  of  paper  folded  and  addressed  upon 
the  sheet.  An  envelope  would  have  subjected  them 
to  double  postage.  They  are  penmarked  with  the 
name  of  the  mailing  office,  the  date  occasionally,  the 
amount  of  the  postage  paid  or  due,  generally  in 


—  15  — 

simple  figures,  sometimes  with  the  word  "  cents  "  in 
full  or  abbreviated,  added.  Gradually,  hand  stamps 
were  introduced.  At  first  the  name  of  the  mailing 
office  in  a  simple  frame,  generally  circular,  the  month 
and  day  being  still  written  in  with  a  pen,  and  the 
amount  of  postage  written  as  before.  A  further 
improvement  appears  later  on  in  the  introduction  of 
the  month  and  day  as  part  of  the  hand  stamp.  The 
word  "paid"  or  "due,"  the  amount  of  postage 
in  figures  or  with  "  cents,"  either  written  or  hand 
stamped,  always  added.  And  finally  all  the  marks 
are  included  in  one  hand  stamp. 

There  was  evidently  no  uniformity  of  practice, 
except  the  general  requirement  that  the  name  of  the 
mailing  office,  the  month  and  day,  and  the  amount 
of  postage  should  in  some  form  be  marked  on  the 
letter.  Improvements  seem  generally  to  have  origi- 
nated in  the  larger  offices,  but  smaller  offices  some- 
times took  the  lead  in  enterprise.  An  improvement 
once  adopted  does  not  seem  always  to  have  been 
adhered  to ;  letters  mailed  at  the  same  office  on  the 
same  day  and  differently  marked  may  be  frequently 
found  in  old  files.  The  hand  stamps  seem  to  have 
been  obtained  by  the  several  offices  for  themselves, 
as  there  is  no  uniformity  of  style. 

Some  of  these  hand  stamps  are  curious  enough  to 
warrant  a  brief  description,  and  it  would  be  difficult 
to  lay  down  a  rule  which  would  distinguish  some 
of  them  from  the  stamps  we  admit  to  our  albums. 

A  letter  mailed  at  Philadelphia  in  1825,  bears  an 
octagonal  hand  stamp  with  a  double  lined  frame  and 


"—16  — 

the  words  "  Phila,  20  Jan"  in  three  lines,  a  sec- 
ond similar  but  smaller  hand  stamp  with  the  word 
"  Paid,"  and  the  figures  "  26  "  written  with  a  pen, 
all  in  red  ink.  These  seem  to  have  been  regularly 
employed  for  several  years.  Other  letters  from  the 
same  city  mailed  in  1845-6-7  and  8,  bear  a  circular 
hand  stamp,  the  name  of  the  City  and  State  sur- 
rounding the  edge,  the  month  and  day  in  the  cen- 
ter, a  single  line  surrounding  all,  the  amount  of 
postage  in  large  numerals  and  the  words  "  DUE  " 
or  ''PAID"  in  a  small  oval  are  separately  hand 
stamped.  Letters  from  Baltimore  of  the  same  dates 
bear  a  similar  circular  hand  stamp  with  name  and 
date,  the  amount  of  postage  in  large  numerals  in  an 
oval,  and  sometimes  the  word  "  PAID  "  in  large  let- 
ters without  frame.  Jacksonville,  111.,  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.  and  Little  Rock,  Ark.  employed  similar  hand 
stamps  at  the  same  time. 

Louisville,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Boston  and 
New  York  letters  of  the  same  years  have  the 
same  hand  stamp  with  a  numeral  or  numerals  indi- 
cative of  the  amount  of  postage  added  at  the  bot- 
tom within  the  frame.  When  prepaid  the  word 
"  PAID"  was  hand  stamped  below  the  other. 

Some  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia  letters 
of  the  same  dates  bear  the  same  hand  stamp  with 
"5  cts,"  "  10  cts,"  etc.  in  the  lower  margin  within 
the  frame,  the  word  "PAID"  being  separately 
hand  stamped  when  the  letter  was  prepaid.  Many 
western  letters  bear  also  the  word  ''Steam  5  "  hand 
stamped  upon  them.  These  hand  stamps  remained 


in  use  up  to  1851  when  the  rates  were  changed  and 
appear  even  upon  letters  bearing  the  adhesive  stamps 
of  the  first  issue. 

In  1851  when  the  rates  were  changed  to  3  cents 
ordinary  postage,  and  1  cent  for  drop  letters,  many 
of  the  same  stamps  appear  with  the  figures  changed 
to  1  or  3,  or  to  let.,  3cte.  and  Gets.,  Boston  and 
Petersburg!!,  Va.  for  example.  A  New  York  hand 
stamp  of  this  period  has  New  York  above,  month 
and  day  in  the  middle  and  "PAID  "  and  "  3  cts  " 
in  two  more  lines. 

A  Philadelphia  hand  stamp  has  name  above,  month 
and  day  in  one  line,  and  Sets  in  another,  in  the  cen- 
ter, and  "  PAID  "  in  lower  margin. 

Another,  the  ordinary  dated  postmark  and  a  sec- 
ond circular  stamp,  nearly  as  large,  with  the  word 
"PAID  "  in  large  letters  crossed  by  the  numeral  3 
nearly  an  inch  long. 

A  Springfield  letter  has  the  ordinary  dated  post- 
mark and  a  second  hand  stamp  nearly  as  large  with 
a  large  numeral  3  above  and  "PAID  "  below. 

Cincinnati.  Buffalo,  Quincy,  111.,  and  others  have 
the  ordinary  hand  stamp  with  the  name  above,  month 
and  day  in  the  center  and  "  3  PAID  "  below. 

Another  letter  has  a  round  hand  stamp  fully  an 
inch  in  diameter  with  the  word  "PAID"  across 
the  center  crossed  by  a  large  outline  "3." 

Another  letter  was  hand  stamped  with  a  large  G 
in  an  octagon  double  frame  and  "'PAID"  sepa- 
rately hand  stamped  across  it. 


—  18  — 

The  Cincinnati  hand  stamp  also  appears  with  "1 
PAID  "  in  the  margin. 

New  Orleans  has  the  ordinary  hand  stamp  and 
"PAID"  "  1"  in  two  lines  of  very  large  letters 
beneath. 

St.  Louis,  has  the  ordinary  hand  stamp,  and  an- 
other with  let  in  large  octagonal  frame  added. 

Many  letters  where  the  word  "paid"  appears  in 
the  dated  stamp  are  also  separately  hand  stamped 
"  PAID."  Some  of  these  letters  bear  also  the  3  and 
let  adhesives  of  the  period.  Those  that  indicate 
postage  to  be  paid  differ  from  postage  due  stamps 
in  no  respect  except  that  they  are  not  adhesive. 
Those  that  indicate  postage  prepaid  correspond  to 
many  other  hand  stamps  in  every  thing  except  that 
they  were  applied  after,  instead  of  before  payment; 
but  in  some  countries  we  have  examples  of  adhesive 
stamps  applied  in  the  same  way.  They  are  not 
beautiful  but  are  interesting  relics  of  the  old  sys- 
tem. A  number  of  similar  stamps  with  the  words 
"  Post  Office"  following  the  name  of  the  town  and 
•'5  paid"  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  the 
compiler,  but  having  been  cut  from  the  letters  the 
date  could  not  be  authenticated.  These  would 
appear  to  be  very  similar  in  character  to  the  adhe- 
sives issued  by  the  postmasters  of  some  offices  about 
the  same  time,  and  to  many  similar  stamps  used  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 


I. 

UNITED  STATES  CITY  DISPATCH  POST. 

Hardly  had  the  discussion  of  Postal  reform  begun 
in  England  than  the  subject  was  taken  up  in  the 
United  States.  The  daily  press  was  full  of  it. 
Pamphlets  were  distributed  broadcast.  In  nearly 
every  city,  private  companies  undertook  to  distrib- 
ute mail  matter  at  less  than  the  government  rates. 
Some  even  carried  letters  from  city  to  city.  In 
Congress,  members  related  the  expedients  resorted 
to  for  sending  letters  at  a  reduced  rate.  In  New 
York,  a  certain  A.  M.  Greig  had  established  a  local 
delivery  and  employed  an  adhesive  stamp,  charging 
but  two  cents  when  the  government  exacted  three. 
Such  competition  greatly  harassed  the  department. 
The  act  of  1836  had  authorized  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral to  establish  a  carrier  system  in  such  cities  as 
he  might  think  advisable.  Apparently  with  the 
view  of  disposing  of  Greig' s  post,  Greig  was  made 
a  government  officer.  The  following  letter  author- 
izing the  postmaster  at  New  York  to  make  the  ap- 
pointment was  first  published  by  the  American 
Journal  of  Philately. 


—  20  — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT, 

Contract  Office,  August  1st,  1842 . 
Sir- 
By  an  order  made  on  Saturday,  but  journalized  to-day, 
the  Postmaster  General  has  established  a  letter  carrier 
arrangement  for  the  City  of  New  York  to  be  called  the- 
u  United  States  City  Despatch  Post "  for  the  conveyance 
of  letters  from  one  part  of  the  city  to  another  subject  to 
a  charge  on  each  letter  of  three  cents,  under  the  20th 
section  of  the  Act  of  1836,  and  authorizes  you  to  employ 
Alex.M.  Greig,  nominated  by  you  as  letter  carrier,  other 
carriers  are  to  be  appointed  from  time  to  time  as  may  be 
required,  and  you  are  requested  to  nominate  for  that 
purpose.  And  you  are  also  authorized  to  obtain  the 
necessary  fixtures,  pouches,  boxes,  labels,  stamps,  etc, 
at  not  exceeding  $1,200.00  for  the  whole  and  to  appoint 
a  clerk  to  superintend  said  establishment  at  not  exceed- 
ing $1,000  per  annum.  You  will  be  pleased  to  report  the 
date  of  comrnencemeut  of  this  arrangement. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

S.  R.  HOBBLE, 
First  Ass't  P.  M.  General. 
JOHN  LORIMER  GRAHAM, 

Postmaster,  New  York. 

In  another  number  of  the  same  paper  we  have  the 
text  of  the  following  notice  concerning  the  same 
post. 

UNITED  STATES  CITY  DISPATCH  POST. 

Hours  of  delivery  every  day  (Sundays  excepted)  at  the 
principal  office,  upper  P.  O.  Park  and  lower  P.  O.  Mer- 
chants Exchange. 


—  21  — 

Letters  deposited  before  8,  12,  3  and  at  the  stations 
before  7,  11  and  2  will  be  sent  out  for  delivery  at  9, 1  and  4. 

Letters  to  be  sent  free  must  have  a  free  stamp  attached 
to  them,  which  can  be  purchased  at  the  upper  and  lower 
Post  Offices  and  at  all  the  stations.  The  charge  will  be 
36  cents  per  dozen,  2  dols.  50  cents  per  hundred.  All 
letters  intended  to  be  sent  forward  to  the  General  Post 
Office  for  the  inland  mails  must  have  a  free  stamp  at- 
tached to  them.  Letters  not  having  a  free  stamp  will  be 
charged  3  cents  on  delivery. 

JOHN  LORIMKR  GRAHAM,  P.  M . 

New  York,  June,  1843. 


The  stamp  issued  and  used  by  this  post  was  known 
in  an  early  day  and  is  catalogued  in  Kline's  Manual 
1862,  but  its  true  histor}7  was  unknown  until  the 
publication  of  the  above  document.  It  is  a  stamp 
probably  alone  of  its  kind.  Any  one  familiar  with 
the  law  of  1836  will  see  that  the  Postmaster  General 
widely  exceeded  the  authority  conferred  on  him  as  it 
would  be  construed  to  day  in  making  the  "arrange- 
ment" under  the  power  to  provide  a  carrier  system. 
The  labels  and  stamps  mentioned  in  the  letter  quoted 
were  probably  however,  not  intended  to  include  the 
postage  stamp  actually  issued,  as  these  terms  are 
used  in  various  documents,  reports,  etc,  of  the 
period  to  designate  quite  different  articles,  the 
"  stamps"  being  invariably  the  hand  stamps  such 
as  we  have  already  described.  But  whatever  may 
have  been  intended  by  the  letter,  the  law  did  not 
confer  any  authority  upon  the  Postmaster  General 
to  issue  or  authorize  the  issue  of  the  stamp  and 


—  22  — 

• 

undertake  to  insist  on  its  use.  It  certainly  has  no 
more  character  than  the  hand  stamps  already  de- 
scribed, but  is  none  the  less  interesting  or  worthy 
of  preservation  on  this  account.  It  was  probably 
employed  because  the  public  had  seen  and  appre- 
ciated the  utility  of  the  adhesive  stamp,  by  its  em- 
ployment by  the  local  or  private  posts,  in  advance 
of  the  official  adoption  of  the  system, 

NP:W  YORK, 

t!ssuE  OF  AUGUST,  1842. 

Portrait  of  President  Washington  turned  %  to  the 
right  on  plain  oval,  enclosed  by  plain  oval  band 
bounded  within  and  without  by  two  colored  lines 
and  inscribed:  United  States  City  Despatch  Post 
*  Three  Cents*,  the  lower  legend  separated  from  the 
upper  by  a  star  on  each  side  ;  rectangular  frame  of  two 
colored  lines,  corners  filled  with  rayed  ornaments 
between  frame  and  oval. 

Plate  impression  18  x  22  mm  in  black  on  colored 
paper. 

3   cents,    black    on   violet. 

3      kt  "        ;'    brown. 

3      "  "        4t    green. 

3      "  "        "    blue  glazed. 


11. 

UNIFORM  POSTAGE. 

The  "arrangement"  put  in  operation  in  New 
York  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  great  success 
for  it  was  not  extended  to  other  cities,  and  local 
posts  continued  to  flourish  and  do  the  work  at  less 
than  the  government  rates.  The  demand  for  better 
service  and  lower  rates,  for  "reform"  as  it  was 
called  grew  louder  and  louder,  until  the  Postmaster 
General  in  his  report  dated  November  25th,  1844, 
recommended  to  Congress  a  reduced  uniform  rate 
according  to  distance  and  weight.  Stamps  were  rec- 
ommended but  only  for  use  on  foreign  letters. 

The  bill  which  was  introduced  in  Congress  in  pur- 
suance of  this  recommendation  provided,  it  is  said, 
both  for  obligatory  prepayment  and  the  use  of  post- 
age stamps.  But  there  was  great  hesitation  in 
adopting  the  English  system  in  the  United  States ; 
the  conditions  were  considered  to  be  so  different ;  the 
the  distances  were  so  great  that  a  greater  rate  was 
necessary ;  the  country  was  so  new  that  the  risk 
from  counterfeiting  was  much  greater  ;  the  custom 


—  24  — 

was  not  to  prepay  letters,  and  custom  is  stronger  than 
aw.  Such  and  like  objections  were  raised  and  the 
aw  passed  without  adopting  prepayment  by  stamp, 
but  the  great  principle  of  the  reform,  uniform 
rnte  by  distance  and  weight  was  adopted.  The  only 
portion  of  the  law  that  is  of  interest  here  is  the  fol- 
lowing section  of  the  Statutes  of  the  United  States, 
XXVIII  Congress,  II  Session,  XLIII  chapter,  ap- 
proved March  30,  1845. 

"From  and  after  the  first  day  of  July  next,  mem- 
bers of  Congress  and  Delegates  from  Territories 
may  receive  letters  not  exceeding  two  ounces  in 
weight,  free  of  postage  during  the  recess  of  Congress 
anything  to  the  contrary  in  this  act  notwithstand- 
ing ;  and  the  same  franking  privilege  which  is 
granted  by  this  act  to  the  members  of  the  two  Houses 
of  Congress,  is  hereby  extended  to  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States ;  and  in  lieu  of  the  rates 
of  postage  now  established  try  law,  there  shall  be 
charged  the  following  rates,  viz:  For  every  single 
letter  in  manuscript  or  paper  of  any  kind  by  or  upon 
which  information  shall  be  asked  for  or  communi- 
cated in  writing  or  by  marks  or  signs,  conveyed  in 
the  mail,  for  any  distance  under  three  hundred 
miles,  five  cents:  and  for  any  distance  over  three 
hundred  miles, ten  cents :  and  for  a  double  letter  there 
shall  be  charged  double  these  rates  :  and  for  a  treble 
letter  treble  these  rates: and  for  a  quadruple  letter 
quadruple  these  rates :  and  every  letter  or  parcel 
not  exceeding  half  an  ounce  in  weight  shall  be 
deemed  a  single  letter,  and  every  additional  weight 


of  half  an  ounce,  or  additional  weight  of  less  than 
half  an  ounce,  shall  be  charged  with  an  additional 
single  postage. 

And  all  drop  letters,  or  letters  placed  in  any  post 
office,  not  for  transmission  through  the  mail,  but  for 
delivery  only,  shall  be  charged  with  postage  at  the 
rate  of  two  cents  each." 

The  newspaper  rate  was  one  cent  within  one  hun- 
dred miles  and  one  and  a  half  cents  for  a  greater 
distance,  for  all  newspapers  not  exceeding  a  certain 
size,  and  two  cents  for  each  sheet  over  that  size,  and 
two  cents  for  all  hand  bills  and  circulars  per  sheet, 
and  two  and  a  half  cents  for  all  magazines  and 
pamphlets. 


III. 

POSTMASTER'S  STAMPS. 

Notwithstanding  the  failure  of  Congress  to  adopt 
postage  stamps,  and  to  authorize  the  Postmaster 
General  to  issue  them,  and  to  provide  an  appropria- 
tion for  their  manufacture,  public  attention  had 
been  drawn  to  the  advantages  of  the  system,  and  the 
convenience,  to  the  business  community  particu- 
larly, of  mailing  and  receiving  letters  at  hours  when 
the  post  office  or  business  houses  were  closed.  The 
question  as  to  whether  the  Postmaster  General 
might  not  issue  postage  stamps  on  his  own  author- 
ity was  raised  and  officially  decided  in  the  negative, 
although  the  Postmaster  General  himself  favored 
their  use.  The  postmasters  in  several  places  how- 
ever undertook  to  meet  the  public  demand  by  having 
stamps  prepared  on  their  own  responsibility,  paying 
the  expense  of  manufacture  themselves  and  selling 
them  to  the  public  at  a  sufficient  advance  on  the 
postal  rates,  to  cover  the  cost  of  engraving  and 
printing.  In  some  cases  the  matter  was  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  Postmaster  General  and  he  saw 


—  27  — 

no   objection   to   the   arrangement;    in  others  the 
whole  affair  seeins  to  have  passed  without  any  atten- 
tion being  paid  to  it  by  the  Department.     In  fact 
it  was  a  mere  contract  between  the  postmaster  and 
the  purchaser  of  his  stamps,  that  when  a  letter  bear- 
ing one  of   his  stamps  was  mailed  at  his  office,  it 
should  be  treated  as  if  the  rooney  were  handed  in 
with   it.     No    postmaster  recognized  the  stamp  of 
any  post  office  but  his  own.     A  letter  adorned  with 
a  New  York   stamp  mailed  at  the  St.  Louis  office 
would  have  been  treated  as  unpaid.     A  New  York 
stamp  was  recognized  only  at  the  New  York  office, 
and  a  St.  Louis  stamp  only  at  the  St.  Louis  office. 
When  a  letter  bearing  a  stamp  was   mailed  at  the 
office  that  ixxned  the  stamp,  and  accepted  as  prepaid, 
the  contract  between  the  postmaster  and  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  stamp  was  fulfilled,  the  postmaster  had 
to  account  to  the  government  for  the  amount  of  the 
postage  as  if   he  had  received   it  with  the  letter. 
The  Department  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  fact  that 
the  stamp  had  been  actually  paid  for  at  another  time 
or  with  its  existence  at  all.    Examination  at  several 
of  these  offices  show   that  there  was  no  stamp  ac- 
count kept  in  the  records  of  the  office.     Such  let- 
ters were  treated  exactly  as  letters  were,  on  which 
the  postage  was  either  paid  in  money  or  charged  in 
the  open  accounts  which  the  postmaster  chose  to 
keep  with  the  commercial  houses.     It  was  marked 
"Paid."     The  stamp  had   no  significance  at  any 
other  office,  except  as  the  mark  or  stamp  indicating 
the  amount  charged,  always  put  on  letters  at  that 


—  28  — 

date,  but  the  word  "paid  "  was  recognized  by  every 
office.  The  letter  was  entered  as  a  paid  letter  on 
the  way  bill,  and  was  treated  as  prepaid,  not  because 
of  the  stamp,  but  because  the  forwarding  office 
treated  it  as  prepaid. 

It  has  been  thought  necessary  to  define  the  exact 
character  of  these  stamps  with  some  exactness,  and 
at  the  risk  of  some  re-iteration,  because  their  true 
character  seems  to  be  little  understood.  They  had 
no  official  sanction  whatever,  because  no  official  had 
any  authority  to  sanction  them.  It  was  a  mere  ar- 
rangement between  the  individual  postmaster  and 
the  public  for  their  mutual  accommodation. 

Such  stamps  were  issued  at  New  York,  St.  Louis, 
Brattleboro, NewHaven, Providence,  Alexandria, Bal- 
timore, Millbury  and  probably  other  places.  Although 
not  governmental  or  official  stamps,  they  are  none  the 
less  interesting  or  valuable  mementoes.  They  show 
how  determined  the  public  were  to  have  the  postage 
stamp,  and  their  history  shows  how  the  Public  Will 
compelled  the  government  to  adopt  the  postage 
stamp  in  spite  of  the  supposed  difficulties  in  the  way. 


IV. 

STAMP  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  POSTMASTER. 

The  stamp  issued  by  the  postmaster  of  New  York 
was  chronicled  in  the  earliest  American  Catalogue, 
(Kline,  1862,)butits  true  character  was  not  estab- 
lished until  the  resuscitation  and  repnblication  in  the 
communications  of  the  author  of  this  work  to  the 
Philatelist  and  Le  Timbre  Poste,in  1873-4,  of  the  fol- 
lowing articles  from  contemporaneous  newspapers. 

The  Express  of  New  York  in  its  issue  of  July  1st, 
1845, contains  an  editorial  mentioning,  thatthe  Act  of 
March  3rd,  1845,  went  into  force  on  the  day  of  pub- 
lication, and  a  report  of  the  meeting  of  the  Cheap 
Postage  Association.  In  its  issue  of  July  7th,  1845, 
the  same  paper  published  as  part  of  its  Washington 
correspondence,  the  following: 

Washington,  July  2nd. 

It  was  suggested  in  New  York  to  Mr.  Morris,  your 
postmaster,  that  he  might  accommodate  the  public  very 
much  by  selling  stamped  envelopes,  as  the  law  does  not 
authorize  the  sale  of  stamps  on  the  English  plan.  When 
he  was  here  he  laid  the  subject  before  the  Postmaster 


—  30  — 

Ge  neral,  who  has  to-day  decided  that  be  may  do  this. 
The  envelopes  are  to  Ibe  marked  with  the  amount  of  post- 
age thereon,  say  5 or  10  or  more  cents  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  the  initials  of  the  postmaster  are  to  be  superadded. 
and  then  the  envelopes  can  be  sold.  The  object  is  to 
facilitate  the  payment  of  prepaid  letters.  Postmasters 
can  interchange  envelopes  whenever  they  can  agree  to 
do  so  among  themselves. 

In  the  issue  of  the  next  day  (Express,  July  8th) 
appeared  the  following  editorial : 

FREE  STAMPED  ENVELOPES.    When  the  Bill  for  Cheap 
Postage  was  before  Congress,  it  contained  a  clause  au- 
thorizing the  sale  of  stamps  on  the  English  system.   The 
provision  was  however  stricken  out,  leaving  the  public 
only  the  old  method  of  prepay  ing  letters  during  the  busi- 
ness hours  of  the  Post  Office.     A  suggestion  was  made 
to  our  new  Postmaster,  Mr.  Morris,  that  the  public  con- 
venience would  be  very  much  promoted  if  he  would  sell 
envelopes  which  would  pass  free  through  his  office.     By 
this  measure  letters  could  be  sent  at  any  hour  of  the 
night  to  the  post  office  and  the  postage  paid,  where  the 
writer  desires  it,   by  enclosing  it  in  a  free  envelope. 
The  postmaster  proposed  to   sell   stamps   at  five  cents 
each,  but  this  not  having  been  sanctioned  by  Congress, 
we  should    think    would    not  be    the  best    way,    and 
as  the  public  convenience  demands  something  of  the 
kind,  we  are  glad  to  learn  that  he  has  prepared  envelopes 
of  the  kind  referred   to,  some  of  which  we  have  seen. 
They  are  marked  "Five  Cents,"  and  under  these  words 
is  the  name  "  R,  H.  Morris."    For  letters  over  one  ounce 
they  are  marked  according  to  the  Post  Office  Rates  in 
the  same  way.    These  envelopes  will  be  sold  by  the 
Postmaster  at  six  and  a  quarter  cents  each,  or  sixteen  for 
a  dollar  of  the  common  kind  and  common  size.    This 


—  31  — 

will  be  as  cheap  or  cheaper  than  they  can  be  bought  in 
small  quantities  at  the  stationers.  A  thin  envelope  will 
contain  two  letters  and  be  subject  only  to  a  single  post- 
age. Envelopes  of  various  sizes  will  also  be  furnished 
and  of  fine  quality  when  desired  by  the  purchaser.  The 
plan  we  hear,  has  also  been  adopted  by  the  postmaster 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  and  has  met  the  approval  of  the 
Postmaster  General.  We  think  it  will  add  to  the  revenue 
of  the  Department  very  considerably. 

From  the  preceding  extract  we  should  infer  that 
envelopes  marked  in  some  way  "  Five  Cents,"  "R. 
H.  Morris,  P.  M."  had  been  issued  and  used  at 
New  York,  and  possibly  something  of  the  kind  at 
Washington.  The  latter  would  be  signed  C.  K. 
Gardner,  P.  M. ,  but  up  to  the  present  day  none  have 
been  found.  They  must  have  been  prepared  at  New 
York  at  least,  since  the  editor  of  the  Express  claims 
to  have  seen  them.  They  were  probably  made  by 
some  of  the  New  York  hand  stamps  noted  as  current 
at  this  time,  leaving  out  the  date  and  signed  by  the 
postmaster. 

Such  an  arrangement  was  clumsy  and  liable  to 
abuse  and  could  have  had  but  a  short  duration  in  so 
large  an  office  as  New  York,  and  in  the  Express  of 
the  14th  of  July,  1«45,  appears  another  editorial  as 
follows : 

Post  Office  Stamps,  We  would  call  the  attention  of 
merchants  and  indeed  all  who  pay  postage,  to  the  adver- 
tisement of  the  postmaster,  who  offers  to  sell  stamps  of 
the  value  of  five  cents  each  for  the  prepayment  of  let- 
ters. This  is  the  cost  of  the  postage  under  300  miles. 


—  32  — 

The  stamps  should  be  generally  adopted  as  they  will  give 
additional  facilities  to  business  men,  and  save  them  time 
in  making  change.  The  postmaster  will  receive  nothing 
for  this  trouble  and  his  stamps  beyond  the  profit  of  lost 
stamps.  The  disposition  of  the  postmaster  to  make  the 
new  system  popular  merits  the  thanks  of  our  citizens. 

In  another  column  of  the  same  paper  appears 
the  advertisement  of  the  postmaster  referred  to  in 
the  editorial. 

POST  OFFICE, 
New  York,  July  14th.  1845. 

The  public  is  respectfully  informed  that  the  iinder- 
signed  has  caused  to  be  prepared  stamps  for  the  prepay- 
ment of  postage,  made  for  five  cents  each,  which  will  be 
sold  in  parcels  of  five  and  upwards.  To  prevent  coun- 
terfeits they  wTill  be  sold  only  at  this  office  and  the  branch 
office.  The  public  may  therefore  be  assured  that  any 
stamps  which  may  be  offered  for  sale  at  any  place  other 
than  the  two  post  offices  are  spurious  and  will  not  be 
considered  as  prepayment. 

(Signed.)  Robert  H.  Morris,  P.  M. 

[Evening  papers  please  copy.] 

Unfortunately  these  articles  contain  no  descrip- 
tion of  the  stamp  issued,  and  it  will  occur  to  those 
familiar  with  the  process  of  engraving  stamps  at 
that  date,  that  the  production  of  a  stamp  as  elabor- 
ate as  the  stamp  known,  in  so  short  a  time  as  elap- 
sed between  the  date  of  the  first  and  last  of  these 
articles,  was  either  a  remarkable  piece  ©f  work,  or 
had  been  commenced  some  time  before.  Pos- 
sibly the  stamps  first  issued  were  not  those  known 
to  collectors  and  have  never  been  discovered. 


—  33  — 

Be  this  as  it^may,  the  plate  contained  more  than 
a  single  stamp.  From  double  copies  that  have 
passed  through  our  hands,  we  have  proof  that  it  con- 
sisted of  at  least  eight  different  varieties,  arranged 
in  two  horizontal  rows  of  four  stamps  each,  differ- 
ing in  minute  details  and  at  different  distances 
apart.  There  may  have  been  more,  but  this  remains 
to  be  verified.  The  stamp  which  appears  to  have 
occupied  the  upper  left  hand  corner  of  the  sheet 
shows  in  each  letter  the  outlines  of  the  same  letters, 
engraved  in  black  and  a  little  lower  down  than  the 
white  ones,  as  if  the  intention  had  originally  been  to 
have  the  value  appear  in  black  on  a  white  label. 
It  is  said  that  the  plate  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  consolidated  Bank  Note  Companies  (American) 
of  New  York.  At  any  rate  PROOFS  were  struck 
from  it  long  after  the  stamp  was  out  of  use,  in  va- 
rious colors. 

NEW  YORK  POST  OFFICE. 
Issue  of  July  14,  1845. 

Portrait  of  President  Washington,  faced  %  to 
left  in  an  oval,  19)£mm.  wide  by  21  ^mm.  high,  with  a 
back  ground  of  colored  lines,  crossed  at  right  angles 
and  bordered  by  a  colorless  line.  Solid  colored  label 
bordered  by  a  colorless  line  above  and  below  the 
oval,  inscribed  in  colorless  ordinary  capitals,  above 
"Post  Office,"  below  "  Five  Cents."  Foliated  or- 
naments in  the  four  corners,  the  upper  enclosing 
small  colorless  labels  inscribed  in  small  colored 
capitals  "New,"  at  the  left  "  York,"  at  the  right, 


—  34  — 

the  whole  surrounded  by  a  colored  line  forming  a 
rectangle. 

Engraved   on  copper   at   New  York  by  Messrs. 
Rawden,  Wright  and  Hatch. 

Plate   impression   20>2    by   28  mm.,  on  slightly 
bluish  paper. 
5  cents  black. 

In  most  of  the  catalogues  this  stamp  has  been 
described  also,  as  on  white  paper.  Such  specimens 
are  shown,  but  they  are  produced  by  some  chemical 
action  of  the  gum  used  to  fasten  them  to  letters, 
or  of  the  composition  of  the  paper  or  other  acciden- 
tal causes.  Specimens  may  be  also  found  of  a  buff 
color  as  if  steeped  in  coffee,  another  changeling 
produced  by  the  action  of  strong  gum. 

Each  stamp  is  signed  A.  C.  M.  in  red  ink.  They 
are  generally  cancelled  with  a  pen  and  blue  ink,  or 
by  the  word  "Paid"  hand  stamped  in  red  ink,  or 
by  the  dating  stamp. 

There  is  another  type  of  stamp  said  to  have  been 
issued  by  the  postmaster  of  New  York  in  1849. 
The  design  is  two  concentric  circles,  the  inner  13/2, 
the  outer  17/^mm.  in  diameter.  In  the  center,  "One 
Cent"  in  two  lines  of  ordinary  colored  capitals,  about 
2mm.  high.  Between  the  circles,  above,  "U.S. Mail;" 
below,  "Prepaid "in  similar  letters  23rnm. high.  They 
were  printed  in  black  on  small  squares  of  rose  col- 
ored paper,  and  afterwards  on  paper  varying  from 
bright  yellow  to  pale  drab  and  generally  glazed. 

This  stamp  was  chronicled  in  Kline's  Manual, 
first  edition,  1862,  as  a  "Carrier  Stamp,"  and  has 


since  been  alternately  considered  a  governmental, 
or  a  local  stamp.  Upon  what  ground  it  is  so  con- 
fidently asserted  to  have  been  issued  by  the  New 
York  postmaster,  and  its  date  assigned  to  1849, 
seems  never  to  have  been  stated.  It  is  certain  how- 
ever that  if  it  were  issued  prior  to  1851,  it  did  not 
prepay  any  authorized  government  postage,  and 
if  issued  after  1847,  such  an  issue  was  forbidden 
by  law  unless  authorized  by  the  Postmaster  Gener- 
al. It  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  postmast- 
er of  New  York  City  would  have  openly  violated 
the  law.  The  inscription,  4iU.  S.  Mail,"  does  not 
prove  anything  but  probably  means  "prepaid  to  the 
U.S.  Mail,"  and  the  stamp  is  probabty  the  issue  of 
some  of  the  local  delivery  companies. 


V. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  ST.  Louis  POSTMASTER. 

Of  all  the  stamps  of  this  character,  those  issued 
by  the  St.  Louis  Postmaster  have  been  most  dis- 
cussed in  the  Philatelical  Press.  The.  ten  cents 
was  first  noticed  in  an  article  in  the  Stamp  Collect- 
or's Magazine  in  November,  1863,  and  the  five  cents 
was  mentioned  in  Kline's  Manual,  3rd  edition,  1865. 
Mr.  L.  W.  Durbin  first  mentioned  the  second  die 
of  the  10  cents,  Mr.  Pemberton  the  second  die  of 
the  5  cents,  and  Mr.  Scott  is  entitled  to  the  credit 
of  discovering  the  third  die  of  each. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  the  numerous  discus- 
sions, pro  and  con,  concerning  the  authenticity  of 
these  stamps,  since  the  present  author  discovered, 
and  republished  in  Le  Timbre  Poste,  in  May,  1873, 
the  following  articles  from  contemporaneous  daily 
papers,  which  leave  no  further  room  for  doubt  con- 
cerning the  two  values,  5  and  10  cents. 

Missouri  Republican,  July  17th,  1845. 
Free    stamped  envelopes.     For  the  convenience  of 


I  hose  who  may  wish  to  prepay  their  packages  at  any 
hour  of  the  night,  Robert  H.  Morris,  the  postmaster  of 
New  York,  as  we  learn  from  the  Express,  has  prepared 
a  variety  of  stamped  envelopes.  They  are  marked  five 
cents,  ten  cents,  etc.  and  under  these  words  is  the  name 
R.  II.  Morris.  The  five  cent  envelopes  will  be  sold  by 
the  postmaster  at  G^  cents  each,  or  16  for  a  dollar  of  the 
common  kind  and  common  size,  and  the  others  in  pro- 
portion. This  will  be  as  cheap  as  they  can  be  bought  in 
small  quantities  at  the  stationers.  A  thin  envelope  \vill 
contain  two  letters  and  be  subject  only  to  a  single  post- 
age. Envelopes  of  various  sizes  will  also  be  furnished 
and  of  fine  quality  when  desired  by  the  purchaser  The 
plan  has  also  been  adopted  by  the  postmaster  at  Wash- 
ington and  has  met  the  approval  of  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral. We  think  it  not  only  a  convenience  to  the  public 
but  that  it  will  add  to  the  revenue  of  the  Department 
very  considerably.  The  above  arrangement  would  be  a 
great  convenience  to  many  persons.  Why  should  not 
the  postmaster  here  adopt  the  same  plan.  We  believe 
the  public  generally  would  buy  them." 

This  article,  although  a  mere  repetition  of  the  ar- 
ticle of  the  Express,  and  like  that  mentioning  envel- 
opes of  New  York  and  Washington  which  no  one 
has  ever  seen,  contains  at  the  end  a  reference  which 
was  evidently  the  inspiration  of  the  St.  Louis  post- 
master to  issue  his  stamps,  for  we  read  in  the  Mis- 
souri Republican  of  November  5th,  1845,  the  fol- 
lowing: 

LETTER  STAMPS.  Mr.  Wimer,  the  postmaster,  has  pre- 
pared a  set  of  letter  stamps,  or  rather  marks  to  put  upon 
letters,  indicating  that  the  postage  has  been  paid.  In 
this  he  has  copied  after  the  plan  adopted  by  the  post- 
master of  New  York  and  other  cities.  These  stamps  are 


—  38  — 

engraved  to  represent  the  Missouri  Coat  of  Arms,  and 
are  five  and  ten  cents.  The}'  are  so  prepared  that  they 
may  be  stuck  upon  a  letter  like  a  wafer  and  will  prove  a 
great  convenience  to  merchants  and  all  those  having 
many  letters  to  send  post  paid,  as  it  saves  all  trouble  of 
paying  at  the  post  office.  They  will  be  sold  as  they  are 
sold  in  the  East,  viz :  Sixteen  live  cent  stamps  and  eight 
ten  cent  stamps  for  a  dollar.  We  would  recommend 
merchants  and  others  to  give  them  a  trial." 

And  a  few  days  later  in  the  same  paper  of  No- 
vember 13th,  1845,  we  again  read: 

"Post  Office  Stamps.  Mr.  Wimer,  the  postmaster,  re- 
quests us  to  say  that  he  will  furnish  nine  ten  cent  stamps 
and  eighteen  five  cent  stamps  for  one  dollar,  the  differ- 
ence being  required  to  pa}*  forthe  printing  of  the  stamps." 

The  above  articles  contain  nearly  the  whole  his- 
tory of  the  stamps  of  St.  Louis.  We  learn  the 
name  of  the  postmaster  who  had  them  made,  (the 
name,  however  is  incorrectly  spelled)  their  use  and 
price,  the  date  and  object  of  their  issue.  A  thor- 
ough search  of  all  the  files  preserved,  of  the  daily 
papers  published  in  St.  Louis  from  January,  1845, 
to  December,  1848,  resulted  in  no  further  discover- 
ies concerning  them. 

ST.  LOUIS  POST  OFFICE. 
Issue  of  November  oth,  1845. 

Arms  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  A  round  shield 
parted  per  pale ;  on  the  dexter  side,  gules  (red 
or  vertically  lined  ground),  the  grizzly  bear  of 


—  39  — 

Missouri,  passant  guardant,  proper ;  on  a  chief  en- 
grailed azure    (horizontally  lined),  a  crescent   ar- 
gent ;  on  the  sinister  side,  argent,  the  arms  of  the 
United   States,    (the  stamp  is  dotted  or  gold)  the 
whole  with  a  band  inscribed  "United  we  stand,  di- 
vided we  fall"  (The   buckle   below  on  the  left,  in 
the  5  cents,  should  be  omitted).  Supporters  on  each 
side,  a  grizzly  bear  of  Missouri,   proper ;  rampant 
guardant,    standing  on   a  scroll  inscribed    "Salus 
Populi  Suprema  lex  esto."    Above,  the  value  is  ex- 
pressed in  large  outline  numerals,  ornamented  and 
shaded.     In  the   corners  "Saint"    and    "Loias" 
with  numerous  flourishes.     Below  the   arms  '•''Post 
Office  "  in  large  ordinary  capitals.     The  whole  in  a 
rectangular  frame  of  a  thin  and  thick  colored  line. 
Engraved    on    copper  by  J .  M.  Kershaw,  at  St. 
Louis.     The  plate  consisted  of  six  stamps,  three  of 
each   value,    and   was   delivered   to   Mr.    Wymer, 
and    is    said    to    have    been    lost    with  other    of 
his  effects  during  the  war.      The  engraver  thinks 
he   printed   about   500    sheets,    at   three  different 
times,  upon   such   paper  as  he   happened  to  have 
at  hand,  and  that  as  the  plate   deteriorated  easily, 
he  probably  retouched  it  slightly  each  time  in  parts, 
before  printing.     He  denies  positively  the  possibil- 
ity of  the  figures  upon  the  twent}^  cent  value  being 
his  work.    These  are  all  the  facts  he  can  now  vouch 
for,    and   states  that  many  of  the  statements  from 
time  to  time  attributed  to  him  "  were  the  ideas  of 
his   interviewers,  who  tried  to  refresh  his  recollec- 
tion and  may  have  mixed  him  up." 


—  40  — 

Plate  Impression  in  black  upon  three    qualities 
of  bluish  paper,  3  varieties  of  each  value. 
5  cents,  black  173^  by  22  K  mm. 
10  cents,  black  18H  by  22}^  mm. 
These  stamps  are  printed  on  a  rather  thick  green- 
ish blue  paper,  on  a  thinner  grey -blue  paper,  and  on 
a  very  thin  greyish  paper,  which  agrees  with  the  rec- 
ollection of  the  engraver  that  he  printed  three  dif- 
ferent lots  of  them.    A  pair  is  also  known  on  a  cof- 
fee colored  paper.     They  were  taken  from  buff  en- 
velopes, and  are  undoubtedly  discolored  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  paper  or  gum.     Those  on  white   paper 
have  been  made  so  by  chemical  action. 

The  varieties  may  be  thus  distinguished : 

FIVE  CENTS.  The  dashes  in  the  corners  form  a 
sort  of  triangular  ornament,  or  branch  The  let- 
ters are  block  capitals,  shaded  by  a  fine  line.  There 
are  no  lines  or  dashes  under  '•'•Post  Office." 

First  variety,  (a.)  The  buckle  on  the  garter  has 
the  point  and  tongue  turned  up  to  the  left. 

(6.)  There  are  six  dashes  above  "Saint,"  and 
eight  above  " Louis,"  of  which  the  top  and  bottom 
ones  on  each  side  are  long  strokes. 

(c.)  One  long  and  two  short  lines  and  a  speck 
under  "Saint,"  and  one  long  and  three  short  lines 
under  " Louis." 

(d.)  A  long  diamond  in  top  of  numeral,  and  a 
mis-shapened  diamond  in  the  bow  of  the  numeral, 
with  four  dots  above  and  nine  below  it,  and  a  dot 
in  the  ball  of  the  numeral. 


—  41  — 

(e)  The  bear  in  the  shield  is  on  a  vertically  lined 
ground. 

Second  Variety,  (a)  The  buckle  has  the  tongue 
and  point  turned  down  to  the  right. 

(6)  There  are  eleven  dashes  above  " Saint,"  and 
ten  above  " Louis "  one  of  which  cuts  the  frame 
on  the  right. 

(c)  One  long  and  two    short   lines,  a  dot,  and  a 
horizontal    stroke  below  " Saint ,"  one   very  long, 
and   three   short   lines   under  " Louis,"  two  above 
and  two  below  the  level  of  the  bear's  ear. 

(d)  A  triangle  in  the  top  of   the  numeral,  and  a 
diamond  in  the  bow  of  the  numeral,  with  four  dots 
above   and   nine  below  the  latter.     No  dot  in  the 
ball  of  the  numeral.     The  right  end  of  the  scroll  is 
double,  and  touches  the  frame. 

(e)  The  bear  is  on  a  vertically  lined  ground. 
Third  Variety.     («)  The  buckle  has   the   point 

turned  down  to  the  right. 

(6)  There  are  twelve  lines  above  "Saint ,"  and 
seventeen  above  " Louis." 

(c)  There  are  one  long  and  three  short  lines  un- 
der "Saint,"  and  one  long  and  two  short  lines  and 
a  dot  under  ''Louis,"  the  latter  on  a  line   between 
the  ear  and  eye  of  the  bear. 

(d)  Adiamond  in  the  top  of  the  5,  and  an  upright 
diamond  in  the  back,  with  eleven  dots  below  and  four 
dots  above  it. 

(e)  The  bear  is  on  a  ground   lined   horizontally 
above  and  vertically  below. 

Mr.  Pemberton  thinks,  from  a  fine  clear  copy  he 


—  42  — 

had  seen,  that  for  some  reason  the  numeral  of  this 
variety  nad  been  originally  engraved  as  a  1.  He 
says  there  is  a  thin  line  to  the  right  of  the  down 
stroke  of  the  o,  three  small  dots  in  a  curve  to  the 
right  of  the  diamond  in  the  top  of  the  5,  and  two 
small  dots,  one  over  the  other  to  the  left  of  the 
diamond. 

Fourth  Variety.*  Mr.  Pemberton  describes  a 
fourth  type  of  the  Five  cents  which  he  claims  is  a 
restoration  of  the  second  variety,  from  which  one 
variety  of  the  20  cents  was  made  by  alteration. 

(a)  The  buckle  has  the  point  turned  down  to  the 
right. 

(6)  There  are  eleven  dashes  above  "Saint,"  and 
ten  above  '•''Louis." 

(c)  There  are  four  lines  under  "Saint,"  and 
three  long  and  two  short  lines  under  "Louis  "  the 
last  on  a  level  with  the  bear's  ear. 

(c?)  A  diamond  in  the  top,  and  a  long  diamond 
in  the  back  of  5,  with  four  dots  over  and  four  dots 
under  the  latter.  Coarser  shading  around  the  fig- 
ure, and  a  curved  vertical  line  at  the  back  of  the 
bow,  being  part  of  the  0  of  20  badly  erased. 

(e)  Bear  on  a  vertically  lined  ground.  The  two 
lines  of  the  frame  above  Louis  bulged. 

TEN  CENTS.  The  words  " Saint,  and  "Louis" 
are  in  small,  colored,  ordinary  capitals,  unshaded. 
There  is  a  long  nourish  curved  upwards  ov  r  each 

*NOTE. — Without  examining  the  specimen  from  which 
Mr.  Pemberton  described,  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  it 
may  not  be  one  of  the  retouches  which  Mr.  Kershaw 
thinks  he  made. 


—  43  — 

word.  It  seems  to  have  been  intended  to  ha\e  a 
point  with  a  short  dash  on  each  side  of  it,  above 
each  of  these,  with  a  second  long  flourish  curved 
upwards  and  then  brought  down  -round  the  end  of 
the  word,  and  continued  as  a  flourish  under  them, 
but  the  details  are  different  in  the  several  types. 
The  numerals  are  ornamented  by  a  diamond  in  the 
middle  of  each  down  stroke,  with  three  dots,  above 
and  below  each  diamond,  except  in  type  one, 
which  has  oaly  two  dots  below  the  diamond  in 
the  "  1." 

The  following  varieties  will  be  noticed : 
First  Variety.    The  point  and  right  dash,  between 
the  corner  flourishes  on  both  sides,  usually  missing, 
and   the  upper  flourish   does  not   come  distinctly 
round  the  right  hand  word. 

3  lines   beneath   "Post  Office." 
5     "  "      •    "Saint." 

4  "  "         "Louis." 

Second  Variety.  The  point  and  right  dash,  between 
the  flourishes  in  the  ri.'ht  hand  corner,  gone,  and 
the  upper  flourish,  does  not  come  round  the  right 
hand  word  distinctly. 

3  lines    beneath   "Post  Office,'"    with   a 
smaller  stroke  over  each. 

4  lines   beneath    "  Saint." 
4      "  "Louis." 

TJiird  Variety.     The  point  between  the  dashes, 
between  the  flourishes  on  the  left,  missing. 
3  lines  beneath  "  Post  Office,"  with 
a    smaller   stroke   over  each,    and 


—  44  — 

dots  between  them. 

3  lines  and  2  dots  beneath  "  Saint." 

4  "         1     "  "         "Louis." 

M~.  Pemberton  at  one  time  chronicled  a  fourth 
variety  of  this  value  als?,  but  could  not  afterward 
identify  it.  Indeed  the  impressions  show  great  va- 
riation from  the  intended  design  in  the  corner  flour- 
ishes, which  seem  to  have  been  engraved  too  fine 
in  parts. 

TWENTY  CENTS.  While  the  author  and  many 
others  do  not  believe  the  twenty  cent  value  to  be 
genuine,  in  deference  to  such  authorities  as  Messrs. 
Scott  and  Pemberton,  who  accept  the  few  speci- 
mens known,  they  are  here  described.  In  the 
American  Journal  of  Philately,  of  January,  1870, 
Mr,  Scott,  after  describing  the  three  varieties  each 
of  the  5  and  10  cents  for  the  first  time,  mentions 
the  20  cent  value  as  a  new-discovery.  Comparing 
the  three  specimens,  he  says :  Two  are  exactly 
alike,  and  have  evidently  been  altered  from  variety 
three,  above  described,  while  the  third  is  different, 
having  evidently  been  altered  from  variety  two. 
At  a  later  date  he  mentions  a  fourth  specimen. 
Five  specimens  are  all  that  have  ever  been  chron- 
icled, we  believe. 

Mr.  Pemberton  describes  the  first  three  more  at 
length,  in  a  paper  in  the  Stamp  Collector's  Maga- 
zine, for  January,  1871.  He  says  he  had  before 
him  13  stamps  of  the  5  cent  value,  and  12  of  the  10 
cents,  but  he  does  not  state  how  many  he  had  of  the 
20  ceuts,  but  that  10  of  the  25  specimens  were  lent 


—  45  — 

him  from  America.  The  American  Journal,  for 
January,  1871,  however,  says  he  had  the  three 
known  specimens  of  the  20  cents.  The  theory  of 
his  article  is  that  the  twenty  cents  was  made  by 
erasing  the  numerals, and  of  course  incidentally  other 
surrounding  parts  of  the  varieties  two  and  three,  of 
the  five  cent  value  on  the  plate,  and  engraving  the 
numerals  20,  printing  that  value  and  afterwards 
erasing  the  20  and  replacing  the  five.  It  is  also 
the  theory  of  the  article  that  this  was  done  with  all 
three  varieties  of  the  5  cents, although  the  author  had 
seen  only  two  varieties  of  the  20  cents,  and  only  one 
specimen  of  the  5  cents,  which  he  could  torture  in- 
to a  re-engraving.  He  alters  the  arrangement  of 
varieties  of  Mr.  Scott,  to  which  we  prefer  to  adhere, 
and  thus  describes  them : 

Variety  One,  from  variety  three  of  the  five  cents. 

One  long  and  one  short  line  under  •' Saint." 
Half  of  each  of  the  original  top  strokes  and  the 
third  stroke  under  •' Louis"  being  erased,  but  the 
dot  left.  The  inner  line  of  the  frame  erased  from 
the  T  to  L,  and  a  smaller  portion  of  the  outer 
frame  above  erased  also. 

Variety  Two,  from  variety  two  of  the  five  cents. 
Four  strokes  under  "Saint."  but  bolder  and  closer 
than  the  original,  the  vertical  stroke  over  the  left 
bear's  paw  nearly  erased. 

Four  strokes  under  " Louis,"  but  deeper  and 
more  regular,  the  third  stroke  downwards  on  a 
level  with  the  bear's  ear.  L  of  "  Louis  "  has  been 
re-engraved.  Bear's  paw  on  the  garter  erased. 


—  46  — 

The  inner  line  of  frame  half  erased  between 
il  Saint"  and  "  Louis." 

It  remains  to  be  added  that  the  numerals  are,  in 
both  these  varieties,  very  badly  drawn,  single  lined 
and  solid,  instead  of  open  and  ornamented,  and 
are  shaded  by  miserably  drawn  irregular  horizontal 
fine  lines  of  uneven  length,  totally  different  from 
the  figures  in  the  other  two  values. 

It  is  both  impracticable  and  useless  to  attempt  to 
repeat  here  all  the  arguments  for  and  against  the 
authenticity  of  these  specimens.  It  is  claimed  that 
they  were  found  in  the  same  file  of  letters  with 
the  greater  part  of  the  specimens  of  the  other 
values  known.  That  the  rate  they  indicate  was  a 
regular  rate  upon  heavy  letters  from  St.  Louis  to 
New  York,  and  that  many  letters  so  marked  that 
do  not  bear  stamps,  were  found  in  the  same  and 
other  files  ;  that  there  are  no  traces  of  erasure  of  the 
5  by  scratching,  and  the  paper  is  no  thinner  under 
the  numerals  than  elsewhere.  This  seems  to  be  the 
substance  of  what  can  be  said  in  their  favor. 

On  the  other  hand  they  are  not  alluded  to  in  the 
notices  published  in  the  Republican,  above  quoted, 
or  elsewhere ;  the  engraver  is  positive  that  he  did 
not  alter  the  values  ;  says  that  he  retained  the  plate 
until  after  Mr.  Wyman  had  ceased  to  be  postmast- 
er, which  was  at  least  two  years  after  the  stamps 
were  prohibited  by  law,  and  that  the  workmanship 
of  the  numerals  could  not  possibly  be  his,  and 
would  be  a  disgrace  to  any  engraver ;  the  figures 
are  apparently  made  by  an  unskilled  hand  with  an 


—  47  — 

ordinary  pen  and  ink;  competent  authorities  in 
such  matters  state  that  it  is  possible  to  remove 
printing  ink  from  paper ;  three  of  the  known 
specimens  have  been  photographed,  two  of  one 
variety  and  one  of  another ;  in  all  the  numerals  dif- 
fer, those  of  the  two  varieties  mentioned  by  Mr, 
Scott  as  corresponding,  vary  as  much  as  the  two 
from  different  varieties  of  the  five  cents.  While  it 
is  true  that  a  portion  of  the  inner  line  of  the  frame 
is  gone  between  Saint  and  Louis,  and  that  the 
strokes  are  bolder  beneath  these  words  on  one  Var- 
iety, it  is  not  apparent  that  they  are  nearer  to- 
gether, or  of  different  shape  as  Mr.  Pemberton 
thought,  or  that  the  L  of  "  Louis  "  has  been  re-en- 
graved. The  absent  lines  need  no  comment.  Last- 
ly, the  work  has  a  blurred  apperance,  as  if  the  ink 
ha'd  slightly  run  in  to  the  paper  around  these  famous 
20  numerals,  and  in  all  .the  photographs  they  are 
of  a  different  color  from  the  remaining  parts  of  the 
same  stamps,  and  the  other  stamps  photographed 
with  them,  particularly  noticeable  in  light  photo- 
graphs, while  the  blurred  appearance  is  more 
apparent  in  the  dark  photographs.  If  these  facts 
do  not  convince  those  who  believe  in  the  authenticity 
of  these  20  cent  varieties,  that  they,  with  Messrs. 
Scott  and  Pemberton,  have  been  the  victims  of  a 
clever  fraud,  the  question  will  probably  never  be 
settled  for  them,  as  no  new  facts  are  likely  at  this 
date  to  be  discovered. 

The  two  cent  value,  once  chronicled,  is  of  a  dif- 
ent  design,  and  an  admitted  invention. 


VI. 

STAMP  OF  THE  BRATTLEBORO  POSTMASTER. 

The  stamp  issued  by  the  Postmaster,  of  Brattle- 
borro,  Vermont,  is  catalogued  as  a  local  as  early  as 
Kline's  Manual.  2nd  edition,  1863.  The  first  mag- 
azine to  describe  it  was  Taylor's  Record,  February, 
1865,  which  states  that  it  was  issued  in  1&48,  by 
F.  N.  Palmer,  to  supply  a  temporary  lack  of  the 
current  five  cents  and  gives  a  fair  description  of  it. 
The  American  Journal  of  Philately,  in  January, 
1869,  in  an  article  by  Dr.  Petrie,  gave  the  first  cor- 
rect account  of  it.  The  article  gives  a  letter  pur- 
porting to  have  been  written  by  Dr.  Palmer,  who 
says  it  was  a  strictly  private  enterprise,  neither 
ordered  or  repudiated  by  the  Department,  and  did 
not  appear  in  his  account  with  the  head  office  at 
Washington.  "My  object,"  he  says,  "in  issuing 
it  was  to  accommodate  the  people,  and  save  myself 
labor  in  making  and  collecting  quarterly  bills,  al- 
most everything  at  that  time  being  either  charged 
or  forwarded  without  prepayment.  I  was  disap- 
pointed in  the  effect,  having  still  to  charge  the 


—  49  — 

stamps  and  collect  my  bills.  As  to  the  number  is- 
sued, I  should  say  five  or  six  hundred  as  an  exper- 
iment. They  were  engraved  by  tyTr,  Thomas  Chub- 
buck,  then  of  Brattleboro,  now  of  Springfield." 

Mr.  Palmer  thinks  the  stamp  was  issued  during 
his  first  year  as  postmaster,  (1845), 

The  March  number  of  the  same  journal,  for  the 
same  year,  mentions  a  specimen  on  a  letter  of  1846, 
post-marked  with  a  pen,  November  10th,  but  the 
stamp  cancelled  with  the  word  "PAID,"  hand- 
stamped  in  red.  In  the  Stamp  Collector's  Maga- 
zine. November,  1870,  Mr.  L.  H.  Bagg,  recapitu- 
lating the  foregoing,  states  incidentally,  that  one 
reason  for  this  accommodating  spirit  on  the  part  of 
the  postmaster,  was  that  his  salary  depended  on 
the  cash  receipts  of  his  office,  and  hence  his  anxiety 
to  have  as  many  letters  prepaid  as  possible,  a  fact 
which  assists  us  in  understanding  why  a  stamp 
should  have  been  issued  at  such  a  small  place  as 
Brattleboro  then  was.  The  postmarked  letter  shows 
that  the  use  of  the  stamp  did  not  do  away  with  the 
necessity  of  marking  the  letter  "  PAID,"  and  that 
it  was  this  mark  and  not  the  stamp  that  was  recog- 
nized by  other  postmasters.  In  his  interview  with 
Mr.  Bagg,  the  engraver,  Mr.  Chubbuck,  was  quite 
confident  that  Mr.  Palmer  burned  all  the  unsold 
stamps  in  his  possession  upon  the  appearance  of  the 
first  regular  United  States  Stamps,  that  the  bill  for 
engraving  them  was  not  collected  until  June,  1848, 
and  that  the  charges  were  $7.50  for  engraving  the 
plate,  and  $1.50  for  printing  500  stamps.  Mr. 


—  50  — 

Bagg  also  obtained  from  Mr.  Chubbuck  a  part  of  a 
sheet,  eight  stamps,  which  was  afterwards  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  Scott,  who  got  together  all  the  copies 
he  couldt  and  thus  reconstructed  the  sheet,  which 
was  shown  to  have  contained  ten  varieties,  in  two 
horizontal  rows  of  5  stamps  each,  each  stamp  sep- 
erately  engraved,  the  words  "  Eng.  by  Thos. 
Chubbuck,  Bratt'o  "  appearing  in  small  script  un- 
der the  middle  stamp  of  the  lower  row,  and  not  ex- 
tending over  the  length  of  that  stamp. 

BRATTLEBORO  POST  OFFICE. 

ISSUE  OF  1845  OR  1846. 

*  1F.  N.  P. " ,  the  initials  of  the  postmaster,  Freder- 
ick N.  Palmer,  in  fac-simile,  with  flourish  beneath, 
on  a  vertically  lined  ground,  in  an  oblong  with  cut 
corners,  bordered  by  a  heavy  colored,  a  colorless 
and  a  finer  colored  line  in  a  band  lined  diagonally, 
(from  right  above,  to  left  below)  and  bordered  by 
another  fine  colored,  a  colorless  and  heavier  colored 
line,  forming  an  oblong  rectangle,  and  inscribed 
above  "Brattleboro,  Vt.,"  in  colored  black  letters, 
"P.  and  0."  on  left  and  right,  in  ordinary  colored 
capitals,  and  "<5  Cents"  in  outline  capitals  below. 
Plate  impression  21  by  19  mm.,  in  color  on  brown- 
ish paper. 

5  cents,  black. 


VII. 

STAMP  OF  THE  NEW  HAVEN  POSTMASTER. 

This  stamp  was  discovered  in  an  old  collection 
by  Mr.  Wm.  P.  Brown,  and  described  by  him  in 
his  Curiosity  Cabinet  in  May,  1871.  The  New 
Haven  Palladium  of  May  11,  1871,  has  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  discovery,  which,  though  it  con- 
tains some  errors  as  to  the  former  postal  rates,  and 
some  ignorance  as  to  the  history  of  the  stamps  of 
the  United  States,  is  worthy  of  insertion  here. 

"A  CURIOSITY." 

"  An  old  envelope  post  office  stamp,  issued  at 
New  Haven,  of  the  denomination  of  5  cents, 
marked  '  PAID,'  and  subscribed  by  '  E.  A.  Mitchell, 
P.  M.,'  has  lately  turned  up.  It  must  have  been 
issued  over  20  years  ago  and  is  probably  one  of  the 
oldest  United  States  stamps  in  existence.  Mr, 
Mitchell  was  postmaster  of  this  city  from  1844  to 
1850.  When  he  took  office  the  rates  were  6.  10, 
12)i>,  and  25  cents  for  single  letters,  according  to 
distance,  no  prepayment  being  required .  The  rates 


—  52  — 

were  afterwards  reduced  to  10  and  5  cents  accord- 
ing to  distance,  and  subsequently  to  five  cents,  uni- 
form for  all  distances,  the  weight  not  exceeding 
one  quarter  ounce,  and  prepayment  required.  At 
this  period  envelopes  began  to  come  in  use,  and  as 
prepayment  of  postage  could  only  be  made  at  the 
office  during  business  hours,  Mr.  Mitchell  took  the 
responsibility  of  issuing  envelopes,  stamped  as 
above,  with  his  signature  on  each,  and  selling  them 
at  the  cost  of  envelopes  and  postage  as  an  accomo- 
dation  ;  some  of  the  post  offices  refused  to  recognize 
them,  and  reported  the  fact  to  the  Department.  As 
hdwever  the  stamps  could  only  be  used  at  the  New 
Haven  office,  and  were  sent  as  prepaid  matter, 
properly  entered  on  the  New  Haven  Post  Bill, 
there  could  be  no  loss  to  the  government,  and  the 
Department  taking  a  liberal  view  of  the  subject, 
authorized  their  continuance.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  adoption  of  stamps  by  our  government  was 
much  hastened  by  the  issue  of  these  prepaid  envel- 
opes, and  it  can  truly  be  said  that  they  were  the 
first  stamps  issued  by  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Mitchell  is  still  in  possession  of  the  original  plate." 
From  a  letter  of  Mr,  Mitchell's,  printed  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Philatety  in  May,  1871,  it  fur- 
ther appears  that  Mr.  Mitchell  permitted  parties  to 
bring  their  own  envelopes  to  be  stamped.  The  die 
was  a  simple  hand  stamp  engraved  by  F,  G.  Gorham, 
and  the  ink  employed  was  that  in  ordinary  use 
for  hand  stamps  in  the  office,  red  or  blue.  He  was 
postmaster  from  iSeptember,  1844,  to  1852,  and 


thinks  the  stamp  was   issued  first  in  1845.     Only 
one  original  stamp  has  so  far  been  found. 

NEW  HAVEN  POST  OFFICE. 

ISSUE  OF  1845. 

Large  rectangular  stamp,  with  corners  cut  by 
quarter  circles.  Frame  of  a  very  heavy  outside 
line  with  an  interior  fine  line.  "Post  Office''  in 
heavy  block  letters  inclined  to  left,  in  a  straight  line 
across  the  top,  "  New  Haven,  O£.,"  in  a  curved  line 
of  Roman  capitals,  in  a  second  line.  Large  numeral 
"  5  "  with  4t  PAID  "  in  large  block  capitals  beneath, 
signature  (E.  A.  Mitchell)  written,  and  "  P.  M." 
in  ordinary  capitals  forming  the  fifth  line. 

Impression  26  by  31  mm., from  brass  hand  stamp, 
in  color  on  white  or  colored  envelopes. 

5  cents,  red. 

The  only  known  original  is  cut  square.     In  1871, 
Mr.  Mitchell  made  a  few  re-impresions  in  red  and 
blue  ink,  which  he  signed  and   distributed  to  col- 
lectors.    The  die  was  then  deposited  in  the  arch- 
ives of  the  New  Haven  Colonial  Historical  Society. 
Reprints.  5  cents,  blue  impression,  red  signature. 
5     "       red  "          blue 

5     "         "  "          black     " 

5     "         "  "  no  " 

All  on  large  white  paper. 


VIII. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  POSTMASTER. 

These  stamps,  of  which  the  5  cent  value  was  cat- 
alogued as  early  as  1863,  and  the  10  cent  in  June, 
1865,  were  issued  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Sayles,  postmaster 
at  Providence,  and  engraved  by  a  Mr,  Kidden,  of 
that  city  in  1846.  None  of  the  daily  papers  of  the 
locality,  which  we  have  been  permitted  to  consult, 
seem  to  have  noticed  the  issue.  The  plate  has  how- 
ever been  preserved  among  the  archives  of  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island. 

PROVIDENCE  POST  OFFICE. 

ISSUE  OF  1846 . 

"Post  Office,"  in  a  curved  line,  "Prov.  R.  I."  in 
a  straight  line,  and  -'Five  Cents"  in  a  curved  line, 
all  in  outline  colorless  block  capitals  on  a  ground 
of  fine  horizontal  lines,  bordered  by  a  fine  colored, 
a  broad  colorless  and  second  fine  colored  line,  form- 
ing a  horizontal  oval,  the  space  outside  filled  in  with 
similar  horizontal  lined  ground  to  form  a  rectangle, 
bordered  by  a  fine  colored  line,  the  bottom  and 


—  55  — 

right  side  double  thickness,  and  ornamented  with  a 
white  foliated  ornament  in  each  of  the  four  corners, 
separated  by  a  white  ball  on  the  sides,  and  by  from 
two  to  five  balls  above, but  none  at  the  bottom, where 
there  is  instead  a  prolongation  of  the  foliation. 

Plate  impression  (copper),  20  by  28  mm.,  on 
yellowish  white  paper. 

5  cents,  black, 
10  cents,  black. 
These  stamps  were  issued  gummed. 

The  paper  of  the  sheet  measures  85>s  by  88  mm. 
On  the  plate  there  are  three  stamps  in  each  hori- 
zontal and  four  in  each  vertical  row,  or  twelve 
stamps.  The  upper  right  hand  corner  stamp  alone 
bears  the  value  "Ten  Cents."  If  for  the  sake  of 
convenience  the  first  stamp  on  the  left  of  the  upper 
row  is  designated  as  type  one,  the  next  two,  etc.  ; 
the  first  stamp  on  the  left  of  the  second  row  as  type 
four ;  the  first  of  the  third  row  as  seven ;  and  the 
first  of  the  fourth  row  as  ten,  the  following  may 
be  noticed  among  the  many  points  of  difference. 
The  plate  was  orignally  ruled  into  spaces  for  the 
stamps  by  very  fine  lines,  which  seem  to  have  been 
carried  straight  through  over  the  spaces  intended  to 
separate  the  stamps,  and  not  always  to  have  been 
perfectly  obliterated  afterwards.  On  the  right  of 
the  plate  there  is  also  a  vertical  line  parallel  to  the 
right  side  of  all  the  stamps  in  the  right  hand  row, 
at  the  distance  separating  two  stamps  (nearly  2  mm.) 
as  if  the  intention  had  been  to  add  another  stamp 
to  each  horizontal  row. 


—  56  — 

Type  1.  At  the  upper  left  corner,  the  horizontal 
frame  line  thickened  projects  to  the  left  and  the 
vertical  line  projects  upward.  5  balls  between  the 
foliations  the  middle  one  is  an  oblong  rectangle, 
the  end  ones  touch  the  ornaments.  The  side  balls 
are  on  a  line  with  the  tops  of  the  letters  of  "Prov., 
R.  I."  There  is  a  period  after  Cents. 

Type  2.  At  the  upper  left  corner,  the  horizontal 
frame  line  thickened  projects  to  the  left.  At  the 
lower  left  corner  both  the  horizontal  and  vertical 
lines  thickened  project.  Both  the  horizontal  top 
and  bottom  lines  continue  on  the  right  to  Type  3. 
5  balls,  the  middle  one  is  a  square,  the  next  on  the 
right  is  the  the  lower  half  of  a  circle,  the  next  on 
left  flat  at  top  and  bottom.  These  three  are  all 
small.  The  end  ball  on  the  right  larger  than  the 
others.  Both  it  and  the  end  ball  on  the  left  are 
flat  on  top.  "F"  in  "Five"  very  close  to  the 
border.  Side  balls  above  the  line  of  the  top  of  the 
letters  of  "  Prov.,  R.  I."  A  period  after  Cents. 

Type  3.  Ten  cents.  The  horizontal  top  line  of 
frame  projects  each  way.  The  vertical  line  at  the 
right  plain  above  but  thickened  and  partially  oblit- 
erated below  the  lower  right  corner.  The  lower  hori- 
zontal line  projects  to  the  left  to  Type  2.  5  balls, 
the  middle  one  large  and  square,  the  extreme  right 
one  nearly  round,  the  remaining  three  irregular  and 
nearly  equal  in  size.  "E"  of  "Office"  touches  the 
oval.  Side  balls  below  the  line  of  the  top  of  the  let- 
ters of  "Prov., R.I. , "and  lower  point  of  left  foliation 
cuts  into  the  left  ball.  No  period  after  Cents. 


—  57  — 

Type  4.  The  top  horizontal  line  projects  10  the 
left.  The  bottom  horizontal  line  projects  both  to 
the  left  and  right.  5  balls.  The  middle  one  is 
a  small  oblong  rectangle.  Those  next  to  it  very 
small.  Left  side  ball  on  a  level  with  the  top  line  of 
letters  of  ;'  Prov.,  R.  I.,"  but  the  right  ball  smaller 
and  lower  down.  No  period  after  Cents. 

Type  5.  The  top  horizontal  line  projects  to  the 
left,  and  part  of  it  is  thickened.  It  also  projects  to 
the  right.  The  bottom  horizontal  line  projects  to 
the  left.  5  bails.  The  middle  one  in  an  oblong 
rectangle.  The  "  s  "  of  Cents,  resembles  an  8. 
Side  balls  are  above  the  line  of  the  top  of  "  Prov., 
R.  I,"  No  period  after  Cents. 

Type  6.  The  top  horizontal  line  projects  to  left. 
The  bottom  horizontal  line  also.  The  vertical  left 
line  projects  to  type  9.  5  balls.  The  middle  one 
is  a  square.  Shading  of  "  E  "  of  ';  Office  "  touches 
the  oval.  The  side  balls  are  below  the  tops  of 
"  Prov.,  R.  I."  No  period  after  Cents. 

Type  7.  The  top  horizontal  line  projects  both 
to  left  and  right.  The  right  vertical  line  projects 
above  the  corner.  4  balls  only.  The  middle  one 
is  gone.  They  are  all  small.  A  period  after  Cents. 

Type  8.  The  top  horizontal  and  left  vertical  lines 
both  project  at  the  upper  left  corner.  5  balls.  The 
middle  ball  is  a  square.  The  top  of  the  ''  E  "  of 
"  Office"  touches  the  oval.  The  "  s  "  in  Cents  is 
very  small,  and  is  followed  by  a  period. 

Type  9.     The  top  horizontal  line  projects   both 


—  58  — 

ways,  and  the  left  vertical  line  projects  above  the 
upper  left  corner.  Both  vertical  lines  are  continued 
down  to  type  12.  2  balls  only,  the  middle  ones  are 
left  out.  "  V  "  in  "  Prov."  is  too  large  and  the 
"  F"  of  •'  Five  "  touches  the  oval.  N@  period  after 
Cents. 

Type  10.  The  top  horizontal  and  right  vertical 
lines  both  project  beyond  the  upper  right  corner.  5 
balls.  The  middle  one  square.  The  lower  leaf  of  the 
upper  left  foliation-  has  no  notch.  Point  after  Cents. 

Type  11.  The  top  horizontal  line  projects  to  the 
left  and  both  verticals  project  upwards.  5  balls. 
The  middle  one  is  square,  The  end  balls  project 
above  top  line.  No  period  after  Cents. 

Type  12.  Both  vertical  lines  project  up  to  Type 
9.  5  dots.  Middle  one  is  an  oblong  rectangle. 
The  next  on  the  right  projects  above  the  frame. 
The  one  at  right  end  is  nearly  round,  but  both  those 
at  the  left  are  rectangular.  Ball  at  right  side  large 
and  flat.  No  period  after  Cents. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  engraver  of  the  orig- 
inal plate  re-engraved  these  stamps  for  the  benefit  of 
collectors  many  years  ago.  However  this  may  be, 
there  are  a  number  of  very  dangerous  counterfeits 
in  existence,  as  well  as  some  that  are  easily  de- 
tected. 

In  the  following  table  the  lines  which  touch  the 
letters  or  other  parts  are  counted  as  well  as  those 
between  them.  By  these  differences  and  peculiar- 
ities the  position  of  a  given  specimen  on  the  plate 
can  readily  be  determined. 


—  5(J  — 


,  

HM 

9 

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KJ 
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§ 

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W 

«- 

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9 

P 

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§ 

0 

3 

M» 
P 

O 

E? 

o 

Q 

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P 
o 

P 

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&> 

o 

o 

P 

p 

3 

9 

0 
< 

| 

•c" 

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C£ 

H 

ft 

ft 

ft 

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T^ 

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I-H 

a 

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0 

P 

0 
o 

O 

O 

ft 
O 

•,i 

w 

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Hh 

O 

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cr 
en 

Q 

p 
cr 

P 

cr 

P 

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sr 

p 

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l£ 

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05 

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5! 

IX. 

STAMP  OF  THE  ALEXANDRIA  POSTMASTER. 

This  stamp  was  discovered  by  the  present  author, 
and  was  first  chronicled  in  an  article  by  him  in 
Le  Timbre  Poste,  of  February,  1873.  A  second 
specimen  is  chronicled  in  Durbin's  Philatelic 
Monthly,  of  August,  1879.  They  are  both  post- 
marked with  the  ordinary  dated  hand  stamp  of  Al- 
exandria, D.  C.,  the  word  "PAID,"  and  large 
numeral  "  5."  The  first  post-mark  is  dated  July 
10th,  that  of  the  second  is  illegible,  but  the  letter 
was  dated  Sept.  9th,  1846. 

ALEXANDRIA  POST  OFFICE. 
ISSUE  OF  1846. 

Large  round  stamp,  30mm.  in  diameter,  with 
border  of  40  six-rayed  stars.  Within  ^Alexandria," 
above,  and  "Post  Office,'"  below,  in  heavy  block 
capitals,  a  six-rayed  star  separating  the  words,  on 
each  side.  In  the  centre  "  PAID,"  in  smaller  cap- 
itals, with  the  numeral  "5  "  beneath. 


—  61  — 

Impression  from  wood  block,  30mm.  in  diameter, 
on  yellow  paper. 

5  cents,  black. 

This  stamp  appears  to  have  been  originally 
stamped  upon  the  buff  envelopes  common  at  the 
time,  and  to  have  been  cut  out  and  fastened  to  the 
letter.  No  further  information  concerning  it  has 
yet  been  discovered.  The  files  at  Washington,  of 
the  Alexandria  Gazette,  the  only  Alexandria  pa- 
per of  that  period,  are  defective  from  May  22nd,  to 
October,  1845,  and  in  part,  for  1847.  Daniel  Brien 
was  Postmaster  at  Alexandria  during  1845-47. 


X. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  BALTIMORE  POSTMASTER. 

This  stamp  was  first  chronicled  in  the  Philatelical 
Journal  in  1874.  The  copy  there  described  was  the 
only  one  known,  until  very  recently,  a  second  copy 
was  described  in  the  New  York  World,  and  subse- 
quently that  and  another  were  mentioned  in  the 
Alexandria  Gazette,  of  August  3rd,  1886,  as  having 
been  in  possession  of  Mr.  Thomas  Semmes,  of  Al- 
exandria. These  are  described  as  postmarked  re- 
spectively, January  15th,  and  31st.,  1847,  with  the 
other  marks  usual  upon  letters  of  the  period.  From 
1845  to  1849,  Mr.  James  Madison  Buchannan 
was  the  postmaster  at  Baltimore,  and  is,  said  to  have 
issued  this  stamp  in  the  fall  of  1846.  Further  de- 
tails are  wanting.  The  stamp  is  a  simple  looking 
slip  of  paper,  containing  the  signature  of  the  post- 
master in  fac-simile,  in  one  line,  and  the  value,  "5 
Cents,"  in  a  second  line,  bordered  by  a  frame  of 
single  colored  lines,  crossed  at  the  four  angles. 

Impression,  55  by  15  mm.,  in  color  upon  thin  blu- 
ish paper. 

5  cents,  black. 


—  63  — 

Besides  these  adhesive  stamps,  Mr.  Buchannan 
also  issued  a  species  of  franked  envelope.  Two 
copies  of  this  were  found  by  Mr.  Robt.  H.  Smith, 

in  examining  his 


S?z.  ^ucLc^z^^    old  letters.  They 
p  fa  |  Q  are   the  ordina- 

ry buff  wove 
envelopes  of  the 
period,  size  80 
b}'  137  mm.,  of 
the  old  simple 
form  with  straight  edged  flaps.  In  the  right  upper, 
hand  corner  the  signature  "  James  M.  Buchannan," 
hand  stamped,  bO^z  mm.  long,  the  'fc  B,"  4%  mm. 
high.  Beneath  this  in  a  second  line  the  word 
"  PAID,"  in  capitals.  4  mm.  high,  and  16  mm. 
long  is  also  hand  stamped.  Below  this  again,  a 
large  numeral  "  5."  Hi  mm.  high,  in  an  oval  20H 
mm.  long  by  7%  high,  is  also  hand  stamped. 

The  specimen  described  is  hand  stamped  with  the 
ordinary  round  hand  stamp  of  Baltimore.  Md.,  and 
dated  Nov.  24th.  no  year  stated  and  is  directed  to 
the  present  owner  and  finder. 

Impression  hand  stamped  in  blue  ink  on  buff  en- 
velopes. 

5  cents,  blue. 

Besides  these  it  has  been  claimed  that  the  stamp 
known  as  the  '*  horseman,"  was  also  issued  in  I860 
or  1861,  by  the  Postmaster  of  Baltimore.  It  may 
be  described  as  a  rough  design  of  a  horseman,  gal- 
loping to  the  right,  holding  a  streamer,  inscribed : 


—  64  — 

"One  Cent."  On  ribbons  above,  "Government  City 
Dispatch."  Rough  frame  of  vertical  lines  with 
rough  ornaments  in  the  corners,  bordered  by  a  sin- 
gle colored  line. 

Impression,     23    by   17    mm.,  apparently  litho- 
graphed in  color  on  white  paper. 
1  Cent,  red. 
1     "       black. 
Variety,    1  Sent       " 

It  will  appear  further  on,  that  at  this  date,  1860, 
and  long  prior  thereto,  the  law  prohibited  post- 
masters from  recognizing  or  permiting  to  be  used 
any  stamps  not  received  from  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral. In  a  letter  published  in  the  American  Jour- 
nal of  Philately,  July  20th,  1869,  W.  H.  H.  Corell, 
3rd  Assistant  Postmaster  General,  says :  "  The  re- 
cords of  the  Department  do  not  contain  an}^  refer- 
ence to  the  other  stamp,  Post  Rider.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  issued  by  one  of  the  numerous 
"  City  Dispatch  "  companies  located  in  New  York. 
These  facts  and  the  very  rough  workmanship ,  so  un- 
like any  of  the  authorized  Government  issues, would 
seem  sufficient  to  settle  the  absolutely  unofficial 
character  of  this  stamp. 


XL 

STAMP  OF  THE  MILLBURY  POSTMASTER. 

In  the  collection  of  letters  received  by  Col.  Isaac 
Davis,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  now  in  the  library  of 
'the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  were  found,  in 
1884.  two  letters  written  and  posted  at  Mill- 
bury,  in  August  and  December,  1846,  postmarked 
with  the  ordinary  dating  stamp  of  Millbury,  of 
the  dates  August  21st,  and  December  16th,  re- 
spectively, and  stamped  with  an  adhesive  stamp, 
cancelled  with  the  word  "PAID,"  in  large  capitals, 
partly  on  the  letter  and  partly  on  the  stamp.  The 
earliest  also  bears  a  large  "V,"  in  an  octagon 
frame,  and  the  other  a  large  numeral  "  5,"  in  a  cir- 
cle. Col.  Asa  H.  Waters,  was  postmaster  of  Mill- 
bury  in  1846,  having  received  his  commission,  dated 
January  2nd,  1836,  from  President  Jackson,  "  Old 
Hickory,"  and  retained  the  office  until  November, 
1848,  when  he  resigned  and  obtained  the  office  for 
Henry  Waterman,  who  had  been  his  assistant.  A 
third  copy  of  the  adhesive  stamp  is  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Col.  Waters,  postmarked  exactly  as  the 


—  66  — 

first  described  specimen,  but  the  date  is  July  18th. 
Both  Col.  Waters  and  Mr.  Waterman  state  that  the 
idea  of  the  stamp  was  suggested  by  the  reception 
of  letters  bearing  the  New  York  stamp,  and  that  the 
stamp  was  printed  in  Boston,  from  a  block  cut 
in  1846.  Neither  gentleman  has  any  data  by  which 
to  fix  more  exactly  the  date  of  its  issue. 

MILLBURY  POST  OFFICE. 

ISSUE  OF  1846. 

Head  of  Washington,  %  face  to  the  right,  on  a 
colorless  circular  disk,  16K  mm.  in  diameter,  shad- 
ed to  left  of  the  head,  and  part  way  in  front  by  4 
diagonal  lines,  and  bordered  by  a  circular  band, 
2  mm.  wide,  edged  outside  and  inside  by  a  colored 
line.  The  band  is  inscribed  above,  "Post  Office," 
below,  "Paid  5  Cents,"  in  colored  block  capitals, 
except  "  5  Cents,"  which  is  in  script.  There  are 
three  five-pointed  stars  irregularly  formed  on  each 
side  in  the  band.  The  outer  circle  is  a  little  flat 
between  T  and  O.  The  vertical  diameter  is  /l>  mm, 
longer  than  the  horizontal. 

Impression  from  wood  block  22  by  22/s  mm.  in 
diameter,  in  black  on  smooth  unsurfaced  white 
paper. 

5  cents,  black. 


XII. 

STAMPED  ENVELOPES  OF  THE  WASHINGTON 
POSTMASTER. 

The  Daily  Union,  published  at  Washington,  Wed- 
nesda}',  July  23rd.  1845,  and  the  National  Intelli- 
gencer, of  Friday,  July  25th,  1845,  contain  the  fol- 
lowing advertising  editorial : 

"INTERESTING  TO  CITIZENS  AND  SOJOURNERS  IN 
WASHINGTON,  Upon  inquiring  at  the  city  post  office, 
we  learn  that  Col.  Gardiner  has  had  franked  (or  rather 
prepaid)  envelopes  prepared,  which  do  away  with  the 
necessity  of  personal  application  at  the  delivery  window 
when  one  wishes  to  pay  postage  on  sending  off  a  letter. 
They  are  for  sale  at  the  post  office,  at  the  following 
rates;  which  barely  pay  the  cost,  after  deducting  the 
sum  chargeable  on  each  for  postage,  viz  : 

18  envelopes  to  enclose  letters  charged  at  5  cents  for  $1.00 

50 

"  61 

10  cents          1.00 

4  '  '10 

1 


r>  50 


Tin's  plan,  it  will  be  recollected  has  been  adopted  in 
the  northern  cities  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  public, 


—  68  — 

and  its  introduction  here  will  save  our  fellow  citizens 
many  a  long  and  hitherto,  indispensable  trudge,  in  this 
metropolis  of  magnificent  distances." 

The  latter  paper,  however  quotes  the  price  of  the 
5  cent  envelopes  at  6  cents,  instead  of  6M.  These 
are  evidently  the  envelopes  mentioned  in  the  article 
of  the  Express,  of  July  8th,  quoted  in  the  chapter 
on  the  stamps  of  the  New  York  postmaster.  Up  to 
the  present  time  none  of  them  have  been  reported 
to  have  been  found. 

*The  newspaper  articles  concerning  these  envelopes 
were  found  by  Mr.  C.  F.  Rothfuchs  who,  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  author,  kindly  searched  the  files  of  the 
Washington  papers. 


XIII. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA  POSTMASTER. 

From  1845  to  1849,  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Lehman  was 
postmaster  of  Philadelphia.  It  is  asserted  that  he 
adopted  for  use  in  the  post  office  at  Philadelphia,  a 
number  of  peculiar  devices  of  his  own,  which  ap- 
pear to  have  been  a  substitute  for  postage  stamps. 
They  are  described  as  bands  with  the  names  of  the 
persons  who  mailed  the  letters  upon  them,  which 
were  fastened  around  the  letters,  and  upon  receipt 
at  the  post  office,  were  removed  by  the  clerks  and 
kept  as  vouchers,  the  amount  of  postage  due  being 
charged  to  the  account  of  the  sender,  and  collected 
with  the  quarterly  bill.  There  are  also  said  to  have 
been  in  use  several  other  designs  in  the  form  of 
stamps,  printed  and  sold  by  the  post  office,  which 
when  fastened  upon  the  letter  indicated  that  the 
office  had  received  postage,  and  such  letters  were 
then  forwarded  and  marked  as  paid. 

Although  several  varieties  of  these  are  said  to  have 
been  in  use,  none  of  them  have  yet  been  found. 


XIV. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  WORCESTER  POSTMASTER. 

In  the  National  Aegis,  published  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  September  2nd,  1846,  may  be  found  the 
following  item : 

"POST  OFFICE  STAMPS.  The  postmaster  has  issued 
postage  stamps  of  the  denomination  of  five  cents  and 
ten  cents.  They  are  very  convenient,  and  will  save 
the  trouble  of  making  change  at  the  post  office,  and  will 
enable  people  to  send  prepaid  letters  at  times  when  the 
office  is  closed.  To  cover  the  expense  of  engraving  and 
printing,  these  stamps  are  sold  at  five  per  cent  advance 
upon  the  regular  rates  of  postage." 

Maturin  L.  Fisher  was  postmaster  at  Worcester, 
from  1839  to  LS49,  and  Andrew  A.  Williams  was 
his  chief  clerk  in  1846,  The  above  item  was  re- 
cently found  by  the  present  author  in  searching  old 
files  of  newspapers,  for  information  about  the  vari- 
ous postmaster's  stamps.  No  other  Worcester  pa- 
per seems  to  have  noticed  the  matter,  and  no  further 
information  has  so  far  rewarded  the  limited  inquiry 
and  search  possible  since  the  discovery.  Both  of 
the  gentlemen  in  the  office  at  the  time  are  now 
deceased. 


XV. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  PITTSFIELD  POSTMASTER. 

A  short  notice  published  in  one  of  the  Springfield, 
Mass.,  papers,  in  the  summer  of  1874,  asserts  that 
in  overhauling  the  vaults  of  the  Berkshire  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  Pittsfield,  a  number  of 
stamps  were  found  that  were  issued  by  the  Pitts- 
field  postmaster,  in  1846-7.  Phineas  Allen  was 
postmaster  of  Pittsfield  at  the  time.  No  further  in- 
formation concerning  these  stamps,  has  rewarded 
inquiry. 


XVI. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  other  similar 
devices  were  in  use  in  other  towns  and  cities  at  this 
period,  by  which  prepayment  of  postage  was  se- 
cured. The  salaries  of  many  of  tlie  smaller  offices 
depended  on  the  amount  of  postage  collected,  and 
the  importance  of  all  offices  was  estimated  by  the 
revenue  collected.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  as 
the  public  demand  for  such  accommodation  grew, 
that  the  postmaster  should  adopt  a  device  tending 
to  their  own  benefit.  There  are  in  the  possession 
of  the  present  author  a  number  of  hand  stamps,  ap- 
parently cut  from  letters  and  envelopes,  inscribed 
such  and  such  a  "Post  Office,"  "  5  Cents  Paid," 
which  would  seem  to  be  stamps  of  this  kind,  but  in 
the  absence  of  further  information,  are  not  here 
chronicled.  The  wide  spread  use  of  such  stamps 
would  appear  from  the  folio  wing  caution,  published 
in  the  Courier,  of  New  York,  July  18th,  1845. 


—  73  — 

"The  postmaster  of  this  city  has  given  notice  that  he 
has  prepared  stamps  for  the  use  of  merchants,  and  re- 
quests them  to  provide  themselves  with  these  stamps  to 
facilitate  the  business  of  "the  post  office,  and  for  their 
own  convenience.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  post- 
master warns  the  public  that  any  stamps  offered  for  sale 
at  any  place  other  than  the  post  office  of  this  city  are 
spurious.  That  the  use  of  proper  stamps  by  merchants 
will  be  a  great  convenience  is  admitted ;  but  these  stamps, 
thus  offered,  should  be  considered  in  no  other  light  than 
the  personal  obligations  of  the  postmaster,  unauthorized 
as  far  as  the  public  know,  by  any  proper  authority,  and 
if  issued  by  the  postmaster  of  one  city,  may  also  be  is- 
sued by  the  postmaster  of  any  town  or  city  in  the  United 
States ;  and  if  this  practice  becomes  general,  the  amount 
in  these  stamps  held  by  the  public  will  be  very  consid- 
erable, and  will  evidently  lead  to  great  abuses  and  prob- 
ably losses. 

In  case  of  the  death  or  removal  of  a  postmaster,  we 
know  of  no  legal  obligation  of  his  successor  to  consider 
these  stamps  of  any  value  whatever. 

Post  office  stamps  to  be  of  general  utility,  should  be 
issued  by  the  General  Post  Office  at  Washington,  sanc- 
tioned by  law,  and  with  suitable  penalties  in  case  of  for- 
gery :  they  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  Post  Of- 
fice Department,  and  would  much  facilitate  business  in 
various  ways,  but  if  issued  by  any  or  all  postmasters, 
will  in  some  cases  be  used  "to  raise  the  wind,"  and  may 
raise  it  pretty  effectually  in  cases  of  death  or  default, 
as  the  amount  held  by  the  public  in  any  of  the  large 
cities  would  be  a  very  considerable  sum." 

(Signed)  CAVEAT. 

This  article  was  reprinted  by  numerous  journals, 
among  them  the  Express,  of  New  York,  July  18th, 
1845. 


XVII. 

.     THE  ISSUE  OF  1847. 

Notwithstanding  these  manifest  dangers,  noticed 
by  the  Courier  and  Express,  the  public   continued 
to  demand  and  use,  and  the   postmasters  to  issue, 
as  we  have  seen,  these  unauthorized   stamps,  with- 
out action  on  the  part  of  Congress,  or  interference 
by  the  Department,  until  the  beginning  of    1^47 
when,    apparently  in  response  to  the  necessities 
the  case  the  following  law  was  passed : 

STATUTES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  XXIX  Congress, 
Session  II,  Chapter  LXIII,  Section  1,  approved  March 
3rd,  1847.  An  Act  to  establish  certain  Post  Roads  and 
for  other  purposes. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  to  facilitate  the  trans- 
portation of  letters  by  mail,  the  Postmaster  General  be. 
authorized  to  prepare  postage  stamps,  which,  when  at- 
tached to  any  letter  or  packet,  shall  be  evidence  of  the 
prepayment  of  the  postage  chargeable  on  such  letter, 
which  said  stamps  the  Postmaster  General  may  deliver 
to  any  deputy  postmaster  who  may  apply  for  the  same, 
the  deputy  postmaster  paying  or  becoming  accountable 
for  the  amount  of  the  stamps  so  received  by  him,  and 
if  any  of  said  stamps  shall  not  be  used,  but  be  returned 


—  75  — 

to  the  General  Post  Office,  the  amount  so  returned  shall 
be  credited  to  such  deputy  postmaster,  and  such  deputy 
postmaster  may  sell  or  dispose  ot  any  stamps  so  received 
by  him.  to  any  person  who  may  wish  to  use  the  same, 
but  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  deputy  postmaster,  to 
prepare,  use.  or  dispose  of  any  postage  stamps  not  au- 
thorized by  and  received  from  the  Postmaster  General. 
And  any  person  who  shall  falsely  and  fraudulently  make, 
alter  or  forge  any  postage  stamp  with  intent  to  defraud 
the  Post  Office  Department,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of 
felony,  and  on  conviction  shall  be  be  subject  to  the  same 
punishment  as  provided  in  the  21  Section  of  the  Act  ap- 
proved March  3rd,  1825,  entitled  an  Act,''  etc. 

This  is  the  first  authorization  of  postage  stamps 
in  the  United  States,  and  it  will  be  well  to  observe 
that  the  use  of  any  stamps  other  than  those  author- 
ized and  received  from  the  Postmaster  General  is 
strictly  prohibited.  The  use  of  the  stamps  of  the 
postmasters  herein  before  treated  of,  must  there- 
fore have  ceased  from  and  after  the  1st  of  July, 
1847,  when  the  law  went  into  effect,  or  as  soon 
thereafter  as  supplies  were  received  from  the  De- 
partment. This  effectually  determines  the  charac- 
ter of  such  locals,  as  the  so-called  "Horseman,"  and 
"U.  S,  Mail  Prepaid,"  before  referred  to. 

According  to  the  law  and  custom  in  the  United 
States,  a  contract  for  the  engraving  and  printing  of 
stamps, under  the  authority  of  this  Act, was  made  by 
the  Postmaster  General  with  Messrs.  Raw  don, 
Wright,  Hatch  and  Edson,  for  four  years.  During 
this  time  they  furnished  4,400,000,  five  cent  stamps, 
and  1,050,000,  ten  cent  stamps,  of  which  3,712,000 


—  76- 

five  cent,  and  891,000  ten  cent  stamps  are  officially 
reported  to  have  been  been  distributed  by  the  De- 
partment to  deputy  postmasters  for  sale.  A  por- 
tion of  these,  valued  at  $12,038.55,  were  however 
afterwards  returned  to  the  Department  and  ex- 
changed for  those  of  the  subsequent  issue,  and 
credited  to  the  deputies  who  returned  them, 

ISSUE  OF  JULY  IST,   1847. 

The  issue  consisted  of  two  values  only,  five  and 
ten  cents. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Portrait  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Continental  Postmaster  General,  facing  three  quar- 
ters to  the  left,  on  an  oval  disk  with  hatched 
ground,  14>£  by  17K  mm.,  bounded  by  a  broad  col- 
orless line  with  a  fine  colored  line  outside,  in  a  rec- 
tangular frame,  also  bordered  by  a  broad  colorless 
line  with  a  fine  colored  line  outside.  The  ground 
work  of  this  frame  is  composed  of  fine  horizontal 
colored  lines,  and  is  ornamented  by  foliations,  and 
inscribed  in  outlined  colorless  capitals,  "  U,"  and 
"S.,"  in  the  upper  corners,  with  "Pos£  Q^ce," 
between,  following  the  form  of  the  oval,  large 
numeral  "5,"  and  "5,"  in  the  lower  corners,  with 
"Five  Cents"  between,  following  the  form  of  the 
oval. 

Between  the  lines  of  the  outer  border,  exactly  in 
the  centre,  are  the  initials  of  the  engravers,  "R.  W, 
H.  &  E.,"  in  small  colored  capitals. 

Plate  impression,  18J£  by  23%  mm.,  in  color  on 
faintly  bluish  paper. 

5  cents,  bronze. 


TEN  CENTS.  Portrait  of  George  Washington, 
first  President,  facing  three  quarters  to  the  right, 
on  an  oval  disk,  with  hatched  background,  border- 
ed by  a  broad  colorless  line,  with  a  fine  colored 
line  outside,  in  a  rectangular  frame,  bordered  in 
the  same  manner.  The  ground  of  the  frame  and  in- 
scriptions are  similar  to  the  five  cents,  but  changed 
for  the  value  to  a  large  "X,"  in  each  lower  corner, 
with  "Ten  Cents,"  between.  Same  small  initials 
in  the  lower  border. 

Plate  impression,  18K  by  23)4  mm.,  in  color  on 
faintly  bluish  paper. 

10  cents,  black. 

In  the  Hartford  Times  of  August  5th,  1885,  ap- 
peared a  long  article,  entitled:  ';  The  First  Postage 
Stamps,"  from  which  the  following  relating  to  the 
actual  date  of  this  issue  may  be  here  repeated, 

"  Thirty  eight  years  ago  to-day  the  first  postage 
stamps  were  used  in  the  United  States.  *  *  *  On  the 
25th  of  March,  1840,  John  M.  Niles,  of  Hartford,  be- 
came Postmaster  General  and  signalized  his  administra- 
tion by  many  reforms.  *  *  *  It  was  necessary  to  cap 
all  by  a  genuine  innovation,  and  he  performed  this  by 
suggesting  the  postage  stamp.  The  suggestion  was  re- 
ceived with  ridicule,  and  Mr.  Niles  soon  after  retired. 
*  *  *  When  Cave  Johnson  assumed  the  post  office,  on 
the  5th  of  March,  1845,  he  found  it  an  Herculian  task  to  re- 
instate the  reform  measures  of  Mr.  Niles.  *  *  *  Among 
the  measures  of  Mr.  Niles  that  he  adopted  was  the  post- 
age stamp  idea.  *  *  *  Johnson  garnished  his  conver- 
sation with  fathering  the  suggestion  originated  six  years 
before.  *  *  *  The  matter  took  form  as  a  bill.  *  *  * 


-78  — 

Approved  March  3rd,  1847.  The  date  of  the  issue  was 
appointed  as  July  1st,  but  there  was  a  delay  in  the  con- 
tractors' work  and  the  time  ran  over  a  month. 

On  the  5th  of  August,  soon  after  the  opening  of  the 
Postmaster  General's  office  for  the  day,  an  old  gentle- 
man called  to  see  Mr.  Johnson  on  business.  The 
gentleman  was  the  Hon.  Henry  Shaw,  a  New  Yorker, 
*  *  *  and  the  father  of  the  well  known  Henry  Shaw,  Jr., 
(Josh  Billings) .  *  *  *  Mr.  Johnson  came  into  his  office 
accompanied  by  the  printer  of  the  new  stamps,  a  few 
minutes  after  Mr.  Shaw  had  arrived,  on  that  August 
morning.  Sheets  of  the  stamps  were  laid  before  the  Post 
master  General,  who,  after  receipting  for  them,  handed 
them  to  his  visitor  to  inspect.  Mr.  Shaw  returned  them 
after  a  hasty  glance,  and  then  drawing  out  his  wallet, 
he  counted  fifteen  cents,  with  which  he  purchased  two 
of  the  stamps — the  first  two  ever  issued.  The  five  cent 
stamp  he  kept  as  a  curiosity,  and  the  ten  cent  stamp  he 
presented  co  Governor  Briggs,  as  an  appropriate  gift." 

OBSERVATIONS. 

In  nearly  all  the  early  catalogues  and  in  some  recent 
foreign  ones,  these  stamps  are  catalogued  upon 
white  paper.  Mr.  Terell,  Third  Assistant  Post- 
master General,  in  a  letter  published  on  page  111, 
American  Stamp  Mercury.  1870,  states  positively 
that  this  issue  was  never  printed  except  upon  faint- 
ly tinted  bluish  paper.  It  may  be  observed,  gen- 
erally, that  the  paper  of  all  stamps  of  the  early  is- 
sues of  all  countries  which  were  affixed  to  the  blue 
or  bluish  paper  in  general  use  at  the  time,  has  a 
tendency  to  vary  from  the  original  color,  sometimes 
becoming  blue  or  bluish,  when  originally  white, 


—  79  — 

darker  or  lighter  blue  or  even  whitish  if  originally 
blue.  This  has  been  variously  explained,  as  the 
action  of  some  ingredient  in  the  paper  of  the  let- 
ter, or  of  the  stamp,  in  the  gum  or  the  ink. 

It  must  be  further  observed  that  the  color  of  the 
impression  of  the  five  cents  varies  greatly  from  the 
original  pale  red  brown,  called  bronze.  Many 
shades  of  faint  red  brown,  red  brown,  faint  dark 
brown,  deep  dark  brown,  black  brown,  bluish  black, 
and  almost  pure  black,  may  be  found.  Whether 
these  result,  as  seems  to  be  the  case,  from  a  natu- 
ral change  in  the  course  of  time,  from  something  in 
the  ink,  paper  or  surroundings  of  the  stamp  itself, 
or  whether  it  results  from  the  use  of  different  col- 
ored ink  originally,  may  perhaps  be  impossible 
now  to  determine. 

The  ten  cent,  however,  varies  very  little  in  the 
color  of  the  impression.  Beyond  a  lighter,  or 
grayish  shade,  a  black  with  a  bluish  cast,  and  the 
ordinary  black  impression,  little  is  to  be  noticed. 

The  stamps  are  separated  in  the  sheet  by  about 
2  mm,,  each  way.  Double  copies  of  the  five  cents, 
adhering  either  by  the  side,  or  by  the  top  and  bot- 
tom, are  often  found  on  old  letters,  and  occasional- 
ly, three  or  four  adhering  specimens  are  encoun- 
tered. The  ten  cents  is  almost  invariably  found  in 
single  specimens,  though  a  few  pairs,  and  even 
three  used  together  are  known. 

According  to  a  statement  in  the  American  Jour- 
nal of  Philately,  of  April,  1871,  this  issue  was  with 
drawn  from   circulation   between   June    llth   and 


—  so  — 

September  30th,  1851,  The  instructions  of  the  De- 
partment to  the  deputy  postmasters,  concerning 
the  distribution  of  the  next  issue,  published  in 
June,  1851,  order  that  these  five  and  ten  cent 
stamps  must  not  be  recognized  as  prepaying  letters 
after  the  30th  of  June,  1851,  and  request  the  pub- 
lic to  return  them  to  the  deputy  postmasters,  in 
exchange  for  others  of  the  new  issue.  The  report 
of  the  Postmaster  General  for  the  year  expiring 
June  30th,  1851,  and  published  in  the  fall  of  that 
year,  further  states:  "  Directions  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  dies  and  plates,  employed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  stamps  formerly  used,  have  been 
given,  and  for  counting  and  burning  such  stamps 
as  have  not  been  issued  to  postmasters  or  have 
been  returned," 

These  facts  probably  explain  the  extreme  rarity 
of  unused  stamps  of  this  issue,  and  the  re-engrav- 
ing of  the  dies  by  the  Goverment,  when  it  was 
considered  advisable  to  make  an  exhibit  of  all  its 
issues  of  adhesive  stamps  at  the  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tion, 

The  existence  therefore,  of  a  specimen  of  four 
unused  five  cent  stamps,  adhering  by  the  sides, 
and  another  of  four  unused  ten  cent  stamps,  ad- 
hering also  by  the  sides,  in  the  private  collection 
of  Mr,  Sterling,  is  worthy  of  notice.  The  latter 
specimen,  at  any  rate,  is  probably  unique,  and 
though  called  whitish  paper  by  him,  has  neverthe- 
less, the  bluish  tint,  and  certainly  is  not  white  paper. 

Note.    There  are  proofs  however  on  white  paper. 


XVIII. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1851. 

The  Act  of  the  XXXI  Congress,  Session  II, 
Chapter  XX,  approved  March  3rd,  1851,  and  en- 
titled: "An  Act  to  reduce  and  modify  the  Rates  of 
Postage  in  the  United  States,  and  for  other  pur- 
poses/' reads: 

"  Be  it  enacted,  etc.,  that  from  and  after  the  30th  day 
of  June,  1851,  in  lieu  of  the  rates  of  postage  now  estab- 
lished by  law,  there  shall  be  charged  the  following 
rates,  viz :  For  every  single  letter  in  manuscript,  or  pa- 
per of  any  kind,  upon  which  information  shall  be  asked 
for,  or  communicated,  in  writing,  or  by  marks  or  signs, 
conveyed  in  the  mail  for  any  distance,  between  places 
within  the  United  States,  not  exceeding  3,000  miles, 
when  the  postage  upon  said  letter  shall  have  been  pre- 
paid, three  cents,  and  five  cents  when  the  postage  there- 
on shall  not  have  been  prepaid,  and  for  any  distance 
exceeding  3,000  miles,  double  these  rates;  for  every  such 
single  letter  or  paper  when  conveyed  wholly  or  in  part 
by  sea,  and  to  or  from  a  foreign  country,  for  any  dis- 
tance over  2,500  miles,  twenty  cents,  and  for  any  dis- 
tance under  2.500  miles,  ten  cents,  excepting  however, 
all  cases  where  such  postages  have  been  or  shall  be  ad- 
justed at  different  rates  by  postal  treaty  or  convention 


—  82  — 

already  concluded  or  hereafter  to  be  made;  and  for  a 
double  letter  there  shall  be  charged  double  the  rates 
above  specified;  and  for  a  treble  letter,  treble  these 
rates ;  and  for  a  quadruple  letter,  quadruple  these  rates ; 
and  every  letter  or  parcel  not  exceeding  half  an  ounce 
in  weight,  shall  be  be  deemed  a  single  letter,  and  every 
additional  weight  of  half  an  ounce,  or  every  additional 
weight  of  less  thau  half  an  ounce,  shall  be  charged  with 
an  additional  single  postage.  And  all  drop  letters,  or 
letters  placed  in  any  post  office,  not  for  transmission,  but 
for  delivery  only,  shall  be  charged  with  postage  at  the 
rate  of  one  cent  each,  and  all  letters  which  shall  here- 
after be  advertised  as  remaining  over  or  uncalled  for  in 
any  post  office  shall  be  charged  with  one  cent  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  postage  to  be  accounted  for  as  other 
postages  now  are." 

The  second  section  fixed  the  rates  upon  newspa- 
pers of  all  descriptions,  coming  from  the  publishers, 
etc.,  etc.,  which  were  not  to  be  paid  for  by  stamps, 
but: 

"Every  other  newspaper  circular,  handbill,  engraving, 
pamphlet,"  etc.,  etc.,  "shall  be  charged  one  cent  an 
ounce  under  500  miles  and  one  cent  each  additional 
ounce  between  500  and  1500  miles,"  double  beyond,  etc., 
etc. 

The  third  section  provides : 

"And  be  it  further  enacted, that  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  Postmaster  General  to  provide  and  furnish  to  all  dep- 
uty postmasters,  and  to  all  other  persons  applying  and 
paying  therefor,  suitable  postage  stamps,  of  the  denom- 
ination of  three  cents, and  of  such  other  denominations  as 
he  may  think  expedient  to  facilitate  prepayment  of  post- 
ages provded  for  in  this  Act;  and  any  person  who  shall 
forge  or  counterfeit  any  postage  stamp,  provided  or  fur- 


—  83- 

nished  under  this  Act,  whether  the  same  are  impressed 
or  printed  on  or  attached  to  envelopes  or  not,  or  any  die, 
plate  or  engraving  therefor,  or  shall  make  or  print,  or 
knowingly  use  or  sell,  or  have  in  his  possession,  with  in- 
tent to  use  or  sell,  any  such  false,  forged  or  counter- 
feit die,  plate,  engraving,  or  postage  stamps,  or  who 
shall  make  or  print,  or  otherwise  procure  to  be  made  or 
printed,  any  postage  stamps  of  the  kind  provided  and 
furnished  by  the  Postmaster  General,  as  aforesaid, 
without  the  especial  authority  and  direction  of  the 
Post  Office  Department,  or  who,  after  such  postage 
stamps  have  been  printed,  shall,  with  intent  to  defraud 
the  revenue  of  the  Post  Office  Department,  deliver  any 
postage  stamps  to  any  person  or  persons  other  than 
such  as  shall  be  authorized  to  receive  the  same  by  an 
instrument  of  writing  duly  executed  under  the  hand  of 
the  Postmaster  General,  and  the  seal  of  the  Post  Office 
Department,  shall  on  conviction  thereof  be  deemed 
guilty  of  felony,  and  punishable  by  a  fine  not  exceed- 
ing 500  dollars,  or  by  imprisonment  not  exceeding 
five  years;  or  by  both  such  line  or  imprisonment, 
and  the  expenses  of  procuring  and  providing  all 
such  postage  stamps  and  letter  envelopes  as  are  provid- 
ed or  authorized  by  this  Act,  shall  be  paid,  after  being 
adjusted  by  the  auditor  of  the  Post  Office  Department, 
on  the  certificate  of  the  Postmaster  General,  out  of  any 
money  in  the  Treasury,  arising  from  the  Kevenues  of 
the  Post  Office  Department." 

The  4th  section  provides  that  postage  stamps  shall 
be  defaced  as  the  Postmaster  General  may  direct, 
and  the  penalty  for  omitting  so  to  do. 

The  10th  section  provides  for  the  appointment 
of  carriers,  the  rate  to  be  one  or  two  cents  prepaid, 
the  carriers  to  be  paid  oat  of  the  receipts  from  this 
postage. 


—  84  — 

The  llth  section  authorizes  the  coming  of  the 
three  cent  coin,  probably  to  facilitate  the  payment 
•  of  these  rates. 

The  other  matters  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  Act 
are  of  little  interest  here,  but  the  following  circular 
contains  some  matters  of  importance : 

KEGULATIONS  CONCEKNING  POSTAGE  STAMPS. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT, 

June  10th,  1851. 

To  facilitate  the  payment  of  postages  upon  letters  and 
packages,  postage  stamps  of  the  following  denomina- 
tions are  provided  and  furnished  by  the  postmaster 
General,  pursuant  to  the  third  section  of  the  "Act  to  re- 
duce and  modify  the  rates  of  Postage  in  the  United 

States,  and  for  other  purposes   approved    March  3rd, 
1851. 

Viz:  No.  1.  Printed  in  black,  representing  the  head  of 
Washington,  of  the  denomination  of  twelve 
cents. 

No.  2.  Printed  in  red,  representing  the  head  of 
Washington,  in  profile,  of  the  denomination 
of  three  cents. 

No.  3.  Printed  in  blue,  representing  the  head  of 
Franklin,  in  profile,  of  the  denomination  of 
one  cent. 

These  stamps  will  be  furnished  to  one  or  more  of  the 
principal  postmasters  in  each  county,  who  will  be  re- 
quired to  supply  the  other  postmasters  in  their  vicinities, 
upon  being  paid  for  the  amount  furnished." 

The  remaining  provisions  relate  to  the  mode  of 
distribution,  accounting,  cancelling,  etc.,  and  are 
of  no  particular  interest.  The  circular  is  signed 
"Nathan  D,  Hall,  Postmaster  General." 


—  85  — 

A  similar  circular  dated  April  3rd,  1852,  is  al- 
most an  exact  repetition  of  the  foregoing.  The 
stamps  issued  may  be  described  more  fully  thus: 

ISSUE  OF  JULY  IST,  1851. 

ONE  CENT.  Bust  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  first 
Postmaster  General,  in  profile,  facing  to  the  right, 
in  an  oval  disk  17  by  20/2mm.,  with  a  ground  of 
very  fine  horizontal  colored  lines,  slightly  waved, 
bordered  by  a  colorless  line  between  two  fine  col- 
ored lines.  The  colorless  line  is  ornamented  by  a 
line  of  fine  dots.  Above  is  a  label,  bordered  at  the 
top  by  a  similarly  ornamented  colorless  line,  between 
two  fine  colored  lines,  terminated  at  the  ends  by 
the  corner  ornaments  of  the  stamp,  with  a  ground 
of  fina  colored  lines  following  the  lines  of  the  oval, 
and  inscribed  in  outline  capitals  "C7.  S.  Postage." 
Below  the  oval  is  a  similar  label,  the  ends  termina- 
ted by  a  similar  border,  with  a  ground  of  fine  col- 
ored lines,*  inscribed  "One  Cent"  in  outline  capi- 
tals. This  label  is  shaded  by  a  number  of  vertical 
lines.  Scroll  and  foliated  corner  ornaments  ex- 
tending down  the  sides.  There  is  no  cutside  line 
finishing  the  frame.  The  stamps  are  very  near 
each  other  on  the  sheet. 

Plate  impression,  19  by  22mm.,  color,  white  paper. 
1  cent,  shades  of  indigo  blue. 

THREE  CENTS.  Bust  of  Washington,  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  in  profile  to  left,  on  an 
oval  disk,  with  hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  fine 
colorless  line  between  two  fine  colored  lines,  sur- 


rounded  by  a  frame  composed  of  colorless  lines, 
forming  diamonds  on  a  solid  ground,  the  alternate 
diamonds  filled  in  with  diagonal  colorless  lines,  leav- 
ing a  colored  chain  conspicuous,  with  rosettes  in 
the  four  angles.  The  space  between  the  oval  and 
frame  filled  with  horizontal  lines,  and  the  corners 
outside  the  rosettes  filled  with  ornamented  triangles. 
Above  and  below  all  these  are  solid  colored  labels, 
with  a  small  piece  containing  a  diamond  cut  off  at 
each  end  by  a  vertical  colorless  line,  inscribed  in 
colorless  Roman  capitals,  above  11U.  S*  Postage," 
below  ^Tliree  Cents.1"  The  whole  is  surrounded, 
at  a  little  distance,  by  a  colored  line  forming  a  rect- 
angle. 

Plate  impression  20  by  25mm.,  color,  white  paper. 
3  cents,  in  shades  of  brick  and  rose  red, 

TWELVE  CENTS.  Bust  of  Washington,  after  Stew- 
art, facing  three  quarters  to  the  left,  on  an  oval 
disk  13>£  by  17mm.,  with  hatched  ground,  bor- 
dered by  a  colorless  line  between  two  colored 
lines.  This  colorless  line  is  crossed  by  h  izontal 
lines.  About  this  is  a  frame  like  that  oi  the  3 
cents,  with  rosettes  at  the  angles,  but  showing  six 
and  two  half  links  in  the  chain  on  each  side,  instead 
of  five  and  two  half  links  as  in  the  three  cents. 
The  outside  corners  are  filled  by  small  foliations, 
The  space  between  the  oval  and  frame  is  filled  by 
horizontal  lines.  Inscription  above  "(7.  S.  Post- 
age," below  " Twelve  Cents"  in  colorless  capitals, 
shaded  outside  on  the  back  ground  and  following 
the  curve  of  the  oval.  The  whole  is  surrounded  by 


—  87  — 

a  fine  colored  line. 

Plate  impression,  19  by  25mm., color,  white  paper. 
12  cents,  black. 

As  it  was  considered  desirable  to  keep  the  amounts 
collected  and  paid  for  delivery  by  carriers  (under 
section  10  of  the  act)  separate,  a  special  stamp 
for  the  paj^ment  of  such  postage  was  soon  added : 

ISSUE  OF  SEPTEMBER  29TH,  1851. 

ONE  CENT.  Bust  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  pro- 
file, to  the  left,  on  an  oval  disk,  15  by  17/^mm.  with 
hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  be- 
tween two  fine  colored  lines.  Frame,  labels,  etc., 
like  the  three  cents,  but  with  a  colorless  star  be- 
tween curved  colorless  lines  at  the  end  instead  of 
the  diamonds.  The  inscription  is  in  colorless  Roman 
capitals,  on  the  upper  label  "Carrier's,"  and 
"/Stamp"  in  the  lower  label. 
Plate  impression,  19>s  by  24mm. , color,  rose  paper. 

No  value  indicated,  indigo  blue. 
Specimens  exist  in  brick  red,  some  of  which  show 
he  crack  in  the  die.     These   must   be   proofs,   al- 
hough  a  letter  purporting  to  be  from  W.  M.  Ire- 
land,   Third   Assistant  Postmaster  General,  dated 
August    10th,   186?,  and   published  in  the  August 
number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Philately,  after 
describing  this  stamp  says: 

"'Color,  orange-brown,  typographed  in  color  on  white 
paper.  Proofs  were,  issued  printed  in  blue  on  pink  pa- 
per; also  in  green  and  yellow.  It  was  issued  about  Sep- 
tember 29th,  1851,  but  was  suppressed  almost  immedi- 


—  88  — 

ately,  owing  to  its  great  similarity  to  the  then  three  cent 
stamp.    Only  about  300,000  were  ever  issued.    It  has  al- 
ways surprised  me  that -the  Department  has  never  kept 
any  official  history  of  its  stamps." 
This  stamp  was  succeeded  by  the 

ISSUE  OF  NOVEMBER,  17,  1851. 

ONE  CENT.  Eagle  poised  for  flight,  turned  to  the 
left,  resting  on  a  branch  of  laurel,  on  an  oval  disk, 
18  by  13mm.,  the  ground  of  clouds  and  rays,  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  colored  line,  a  colorless  line,  and 
a  band  of  solid  color  inscribed  in  colorless  Roman 
capitals,  above  'kC7.  S.  P.  0,  Dispatch,"  below 
"Prepaid,  One  Cent,"  with  ornaments  of  oak  leaves 
on  the  left  and  of  laurels  on  the  right. 

Plate  impression,  19  by  25mm,  color,  white  paper. 
1  cent,  blue. 

A  letter  dated  from  the  Post  Office  Department, 
Finance  Office.  July  20th,  1869,  and  signed  W.  H. 
H.  Coreil,  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General, 
published  in  the  American  Journal  of  Philately, 
says: 

"  The  blue  stamp  "Eagle"  was  used  for  prepaying 
City  letters  delivered  by  carriers.  It  was  issued  about 
Nov.  17th,  1851,  and  was  withdrawn  Jan.  27th,  1852.  Tt 
was  very  little  used  except  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Cin. 
cinnati,  Ohio." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  however,  the  published  re- 
ports of  the  Pastmaster  General,  shows  that  there 
were  issued : 

4,777,552  from  Nov.  1851,  up  to  June,  1852. 

4,370,383     "     June  1852,  "    "       "       1853. 

7,103,416     "        «      1853,  "    "       "       1854. 


These  stamps  were  all  engraved  and  printed  by 
Messrs.  Toppan,  Carpenter,  Cassilar  and  Co.,  of 
Philadelphia,  under  a  contract  with  the  Depart- 
ment. 

The  collector  naturally  desires  to  know  what  sup- 
posed peculiarities  of  the  public  demand  led  to  the 
selection  of  these  values,  and  not  others.  As  al- 
ready shown,  the  carriers  were  paid  out  of  the  re- 
ceipts from  the  sale  of  the  two  carrier  stamps. 

The  one  cent  was  required  for  newspapers  and 
other  printed  matter,  either  singly  or  in  twos, 
threes,  fours,  fives,  sixes,  etc.,  and  Mr  Sterling  has 
preserved  specimens  thus  used,  adhering,  either  in 
strips  by  the  sides  or  ends,  or  in  bloiks. 

The  three  cent  stamp  paid  the  ordinary  letter 
rate,  and  two  or  more  would  be  required  on  double, 
triple,  etc.,  letters.  Mr,  Sterling  has  also  pre- 
served strips  and  blocks  of  these  found  so  used. 

The  single  postage  to  California  was  six  cents. 
This  was  also  the  double  letter  rate,  and  it  seems 
singular  that  a  stamp  of  this  value  was  not  issued. 
Its  place  was  supplied  by  two  three  cent  stamps, 
the  double  rate  to  California  by  four  three  cent 
stamps,  etc.  That  it  was  also  supplied  occasional- 
ly by  half  of  the  twelve  cent  stamp,  cut  diagonally 
from  corner  to  corner,  specimens  so  used  on  the 
original  envelopes  in  the  possession  of  the  same 
gentleman  abundantly  prove.  The  twelve  cent 
must,  therefore,  have  had  no  function  except  to  re- 
place a  quadruple  ordinar}'  rate,  or  a  double  Cali- 
fornia rate.'  For  foreign  letters,  the  postage  was 


—  90  — 

10  or  20  cents,  when  not  provided  for  by  treaty. 
Most  of  the  treaties  fixed  the  same  rates,  and 
stamps  of  those  values  would  seem  to  have  been 
required,  The  fact  that  prepayment  was  optional, 
may  have  influenced  the  demand  for  these  values. 

Soon  after  the  issue  of  the  foregoing  series,  the 
postal  rates  were  again  discussed  in  congress,  and 
the  law  amended  as  follows : 

XXXIII  Congress,  Session  II,  Chapter  173,  Section  31, 
approved  March  30th,  1885,  entitled:  "An  Act  further  to 
amend  the  Act  entitled:  'An  Act  to  reduce,  etc.,  ap- 
proved March  3d,  1851.'  " 

Be  it  enacted,  etc.  That  in  lieu  of  the  rates  of  post- 
age now  established  by  law,  there  shall  be  charged  the 
following  rates  to  wit:  For  every  single  letter  in  manu- 
script, or  paper  of  any  kind  in  which  information  shall 
be  asked,  or,  communicated  in  wricing,  or  by  marks  or 
signs,  conveyed  in  the  mail,  for  any  distance  between 
places  in  the  United  States  not  exceeding  3,000  miles, 
three  cents ;  and  for  any  distance  exceeding  3,000  miles, 
ten  cents.  And  for  a  double  letter,  there  shall  be 
charged  double  the  rates  above  specified;  and  for  a  tre- 
ble letter,  treble  these  rates,  and  for  a  quadruple  letter, 
quadruple  these  rates ;  and  every  letter  or  paper  not  ex- 
ceeding half  an  ounce  in  weight  shall  be  deemed  a  sin- 
gle letter;  and  every  additional  weight  of  half  an  ounce, 
or  every  additional  weight  of  less  than  half  an  ounce, 
shall  be  charged  with  an  additional  single  postage;  and 
upon  all  letters  passing  through  or  in  the  mail  of  the 
United  States,  except  such  as  are  to  or  from  a  foreign 
country,  the  postages  as  above  specified,  shall  be  pre- 
paid,except  upon  letters  and  papers  addressed  to  officers 
of  the  government  on  ofiicial  business, which  shall  be  so 
marked  on  the  envelope.  And  from  and  after  the  first 


—  91  — 

day  of  January,  1850,  the  Postmaster  General  may  re- 
quire postmasters  to  place  postage  stamps  upon  all  pre- 
paid letters,  upon  which  such  stamps  may  not  have  been 
placed  by  the  writers. 

And  all  drop  letters,  or  letters  placed  in  the  post  of- 
fice, not  for  transmission  through  the  mail,  but  for  deliv- 
ery only,  shall  be  charged  with  postage  at  the  rate  of 
one  cent  each,  and  all  letters  which  shall  hereafter  be 
advertised  as  remaining  over  or  uncalled  for  in  any 
post  office,  shall  be  charged  with  one  cent  each  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  postage,  both  to  be  accounted  for  as 
other  postages  now  are. 

Section  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  it  shall 
be  unlawful  for  any  postmater  or  other  person, to  sell  any 
postage  stamp  or  stamped  envelope  for  any  larger  sum 
than  that  indicated  upon  the  face  of  such  postage  stamp, 
or  for  a  larger  sum  than  that  charged  therefor  by  the 
Post  Office  Department. 
[Here  follows  the  penalty  for  so  doing.] 

Sections.  And  be  it  further  enacted:  That  for  the 
greater  security  of  valuable  letters  posted  for  transmis- 
sion in  the  mails  of  the  United  States,  the  Postmaster 
General  be,  and  hereby  is  authorized  to  establish  a  uni- 
form plan  for  the  registration  of  such  letters  on  applica- 
tion of  parties  posting  the  same,  and  to  require  the  pre- 
payment of  the  postage,  as  well  as  a  registration  fee  of 
five  cents,  on  every  such  letter  or  packet,  to  be  ac- 
counted for  by  postmasters  receiving  the  same,  in  such 
manner  as  the  Postmaster  General  may  direct:  Provid- 
ed, however,  that  such  registration  shall  not  be  compul- 
sory :  and  shall  not  render  the  Post  Office  Department, 
or  its  revenues  liable  for  the  loss  of  such  letter  or  pack- 
age, or  the  contents  thereof. 

By  this  Act  there  was  established  for  the  first 
time  compulsory  prepayment,  at  a  uniform  rate  of 


—  92  — 

3  and  10  cents,  according  as  the  distance  was  less 
or  greater  than  3,000  miles,  upon  letters  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  Act  of  the  XXXIV  Con- 
gress, Session  III,  Chapter  1,  approved  January 
2d,  1857,  entitled:  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the 
compulsory  Prepayment  of  Postage  on  all  transient 
printed  matter,"  which  provided,  that  such  postage 
"  shall  be  prepaid  by  stamps  or  otherwise,  as  the 
Postmaster  General  may  direct,"  completes  ttie 
legislation  upon  the  subject,  so  far  as  it  is  of  inter- 
est here,  up  to  the  year  1861. 

Upon  the  approval  of  this  Act,  the  following  cir- 
cular, dated  at  Washington,  March  12th,  1855, 
was  issued  to  postmasters  : 

XEW  POSTAGE  ACT. 

INSTRUCTIONS   TO   POSTMASTERS. 

The  particular  attention  of  Postmasters  and  others  is 
invited  to  the  annexed  Act,  passed  at  the  last  session  of 
Congress.  It  will  be  observed : 

1st.  That  from  and  after  April  1st,  1855,  the  single 
rate  of  postage  on  a  letter  conveyed  in  the  mail,  for  any 
distance  in  the  United  States,  not  exceeding  three 
thousand  miles,  is  three  cents,  and  for  any  distance  ex- 
ceeding three  thousand  miles,  ten  cents. 

2nd.  That  from  and  after  April  1st, -1855,  prepay- 
ment by  stamps,  stamped  envelopes  or  in  money  is  com- 
pulsory. 

3rd.  That  from  and  after  January  1st,  1856,  all  let- 
ters, between  places  in  the  United  States,  must  be  pre- 
paid either  by  postage  stamps  or  stamped  envelopes. 

4th.  That  the  laws  relating  to  the  Franking  Privil- 
edge  are  not  altered. 


—  93  — 

5th.  That  the  existing  rates  aud  regulations  in  regard 
to  letters  to  or  from  Canada,  and  all  foreign  countries, 
remain  unchanged. 

Unpaid  letters  mailed  before  April  1st,  1855,  will  be 
forwarded  and  delivered  upon  payment  of  the  postage, 
by  the  person  addressed.  Postage  stamps  and  stamped 
envelopes,  of  the  denomination  of  ten  cents,  will  be  pre- 
pared and  issued  speedily,  and  the  Department  will  use 
every  exertion  to  supply  all  post  offices  with  one  and 
and  three  cent  stamps  also,  as  fast  as  they  are  required. 

Absolute  prepayment  being  required  on  all  letters  to 
places  \vithin  the  United  States,  from  and  after-  April 
1st,  1855,  great  care  should  be  used  as  well  in  prepaying 
the  proper  amount  on  lettters  above  the  weight  of  half 
an  ounce,  as  on  single  letters. 

Postmasters  will  post  up  conspicuously  in  their  re- 
spective offices  a  notice,  calling  attention  to  the  provis- 
ions of  the  Act  requiring  prepayment. 

The  provisions  in  regard  to  the  registration  of  valua- 
ble letters  will  be  carried  into  effect,  and  special  instruc- 
tions issued  on  the  subject,  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
blanks  can  be  prepared  and  distributed. 

(Signed)  JAMES  CAMPBELL, 

Postmaster  General. 
Post  Office  Department,  March  12,  1855. 

N.  B.— Copy  of  the  Act  of  March  3d,  1855,  on  the  back. 

Another  circular  dated  at  Washington,  Nov.  20th, 
1855,  also  signed  by  the  Postmaster  General,  after 
reciting  certain  regulations  which  are  addressed  to 
and  concern  only  the  postmasters  themselves,  con- 
tains the  following : 

"Section  7.  The  denominations  of  postage  stamps 
authorized  by  the  Department  to  be  issued,  are  one, 
hree,five,  ten  and  twelve  cents." 


—  94  — 

The  one,  three  and  twelve  cents  of  the  issue  of 
1851,  remaining  in  use  without  apparent  change, 
and  the  same  contract  with  Messrs.  Toppan,  Car- 
penter, Casellar  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  remaining 
in  force,  the  following  were  added  to  the  series: 

ISSUE  OF  MAY  OTH,  1855. 

TEN  CENTS.  Portrait  of  Washington,  after  Stew- 
art, faced  three-quarters  to  the  left,  on  an  oval 
disk  with  hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless 
line  between  two  fine  colored  lines,  the  colorless 
line  crossed  in  parts  by  small  horizontal  lines,  on  a 
hatched  back-ground,  bordered  by  outlined  folia- 
tions, which  form  small  ovals  in  the  upper  corners 
containing  a  colorless"  X,"  with  tlU.  S.  Postage" 
in  colored  capitals  between  them.  Thirteen  color- 
less stars  on  the  ground  above  the  oval.  "Ten 
Cents"  in  colorless  capitals  in  a  waved  line  below. 

Plate  impression,  18  by  24  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper. 

10  cents,  green. 

This  stamp  was  issued  to  provide  for  the  single 
rate  to  California. 

ISSUE  OF  JANUARY  STH,  1856. 
FIVE  CENTS.  Portrait  of  Jefferson,  the  third  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  faced  three  quarters  to 
the  right,  on  an  oval  disk,  12/4  by  15/^mm. ,  with 
hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  be- 
tween two  fine  colored  lines,  in  a  broad  frame  with 
solid  ground,  ornamented  by  colorless  lines  forming 


—  95  — 

a  geometric  lathe  pattern.  This  frame  is  rounded 
at  the  corners,  with  a  small  projection  of  about  2 
mm.  between  at  the  top,  bottom  and  sides,  and  is 
surrounded  at  a  little  distance  by  afine  colored  line 
following  the  same  outline.  On  the  back  ground, 
without  labels,  above  "U.  S.  Postage,"  below 
"Five  Cents,"  in  colorless  Roman  capitals. 

Plate  impression,  19  by  25mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper. 

5  cents,  in  shades  of  yellow  brown,  red  brown, 
and  dark  brown. 

This  stamp  was  issued  to  prepay  the  registration 
fee,  but  is  often  found  in  unsevered  pairs  upon 
California  letters,  and  sometimes  in  triplets  includ- 
ing the  registration  fee  and  a  single  postage  to  Cal- 
ifornia. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1856,  a  stamp  of  the  value 
of  twenty-four  cents  was  approved. 

TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS.  Portrait  of  Washington, 
after  Stewart,  faced  three  quarters  to  the  right,  on 
an  oval  disk,  with  hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line,  surrounded  by  a  solid  band  of  color, 
inscribed  in  colorless  Roman  capitals,  above  liU.S. 
Postage,"  below  "Twenty-four  Cents,"  separated  by 
a  sort  of  buckle  at  the  sides.  A  broad  solid  colored 
frame,  ornamented  by  colorless  lathe  work  is  sur- 
rounded, at  a  little  distance,  by  a  fine  colored  line, 
and  the  corners  are  rounded,  with  a  single  swell 
between  them  above  and  below,  and  three  between 
them  at  the  sides. 


-96  — 


Plate  impression,  1$%  by  25mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper. 

25  cents,  lilac. 

Although  made  and  approved,  this  stamp  is  said 
to  have  been  withheld  from  issue  in  this  imperfo- 
rate  condition.  They  were  finished  and  gummed, 
and  some  of  them  seem  to  have  gotten  into  circula- 
tion, as  occasional  specimens  are  to  be  found  in 
collections,  and  one  entire  sheet,  at  least,  is  known 
to  have  existed. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

Every  collector  ought  at  least  to  be  aware  of  the 
nature  and  character  of  the  varieties  that  exist  in 
these  stamps.  Although  many  of  them  are  very 
minute,  and  can  be  distinguished  only  by  the  use 
of  a  good  magnifying  glass,  others,  once  noticed, 
can  readily  be  selected  by  the  unassisted  eye.  Few 
will  care,  probably,  to  place  more  than  the  most' 
marked  varieties  in  their  collections,  still  fewer  will 
have  the  patience  to  explore  the  necessary  piles  of 
common  "stock,  "  in  order  to  find  these  marked 
varieties,  for  the  most  marked  are  the  most  uncom- 
mon, or  to  distinguish  the  more  minute  varieties 
from  each  other. 

The  plates  of  all  values  printed  200  stamps  each 
upon  the  sheet.  Before  the  stamps  were  distrib- 
uted, each  sheet  was  cut  vertically  into  half  sheets, 
the  place  where  they  were  to  be  cut  being  marked 
on  the  plate  by  a  vertical  colored  line,  and  each 


—  97- 

half  containing  ten  rows  of  ten  stamps  each.  Up- 
on each  side  of  the  plate,  at -a  little  distance  from 
the  outer  row  of  stamps,  the  tops  of  the  letters  be- 
ing towards  the  stamps,  and  running  along  the 
sides  of  the  oth  and  6th  stamp  from  the  top  or  bot- 
tom of  the  sheet,  and  part  :f  the  4th  and  7th  stamp, 
is  the  maker's  imprint,  "Toppan, Carpenter, Cassilar 

&  Co.,  BANK  NOTE'ENGRAVP:RS,  pwia.,  New 

York,  Boston  and  Cincinnati,"  with  "No— P."  in  a 
second  line.  This  imprint  was  afterwards  changed 
by  leaving  out  the  third  name. 

The  one  cent  eagle  is  an  exception,  as  the  imprint 
here  appears  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  sheet, 
running  along  the  space  covered  by  four  stamps, 
and  the  sheet  is  said  to  have  contained  only  100 

stamps.1 

Upon  some  of  the  sheets,  of  the  other  values,  from 
the  first  plate,  there  is  also  a  vertical  line  from  the 
top  to  bottom  of  the  plate,  probably  upon  each  outer 
margin.  Upon  other  sheets,  this  does  not  ap- 
pear. Specimens  of  these  are  now  difficult 'to  ob- 
tain, as  the  wide  borders  at  the  sides,  the  top 
and  bottom  of  the  sheets,  were  usually  cut  off  when 
the  stamps  were  used. 

ONE  CENT  UNPERFORATED. 

The  stamps  are  about  Mmm.  apart  between  the 
nearest  points  of  the  tops  and  bottoms,  and  1mm. 
between  the  nearest  points  of  the  sides. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  the  top  and  bottom  la- 
bels have  a  fine  line  parallel  to  the  solid  body  of 


—  98  — 

the  inscribed  labels,  both  at  the  top  and  bottom. 

The  imprint  is  about  iHmm.  from  the  outer  row 
of  stamps.  The  central  vertical  line  is  about  1% 
mm.  from  each  central  row.  The  side  vertical  lines 
are  about  S^mm.  from  the  outside  rows.  These 
dimensions  vary  slightly.  There  is  little  apprecia- 
ble difference  in  the  stamps  in  a  sheet,  except  in 
the  thickness  of  the  lines  bordering  or  shading  the 
ornaments.  In  some  specimens,  these  lines  are  all 
fine  in  all  parts  of  the  stamp,  in  others,  they  are 
much  heavier,  and  in  others  fine  in  parts  and  heavy 
in  other  parts,  in  many  gradations.  The  color  used 
seems  to  have  been  always  the  same,  varying  only  in 
intensity,  as  more  or  less  ink  was  left  on  the  paper  in 
printing.  Dark,  or  pale  specimens,  with  intermedi- 
ate shades  ma}^  therefore  be  found.  The  paper  is 
always  white,  but  more  or  less  tinted  with  the  color 
of  the  stamp  from  imperfect  wiping  of  the  plates. 

THREE  CENTS  UNPERFORATED. 

The  number  of  plates  used  in  printing  this  value 
unperforated,  has  not  been  possible  to  determine. 
The  distance  between  the  stamps  varies  considera- 
bly in  different  plates.  In  some,  they  are  only  i^- 
mm.  apart  between  the  tops  and  bottoms,  in  others 
a  little  over  1mm.  In  some  they  are  only  Amm. 
apart  between  the  side  lines,  in  other  fully  Irtrmm. 
Specimens  with  broad,  white  margins  (A)  show  the 
the  paper  to  have  extended,  sometimes  15mm.  be- 
yond the  stamps.  The  vertical  lines  are  (B)  6mm., 


—  99  — 

or  (C)  2lo,  3  and  3%mm.  from  the  center  rows. 
The  makers  imprint  (D)  is  about  l^mrn.  from  the 
outer  rows,  but  varies  slightly  in  different  sheets. 

The  process  of  making  these  plates  is  said  to  have 
been ;  first  to  mark  out  on  a  soft  plate  of  steel  the 
points  at  which  the  right  vertical  line  of  each  verti- 
cal row  of  stamps  was  to  come,  by  a  dot  at  the  top 
and  bottom  of  the  plate.  These  dots  were  some- 
times too  large  and  too  heavily  put  in,  and  may  be 
found  in  some  specimens  (E)  at  or  near,  the  upper 
or  lower  right  hand  corner  of  the  stamp.  The  lines 
however  were  not  always  accurately  drawn  so  that 
the  dot  appears  (F)  on  the  top  or  bottom  line,  at  a 
distance  to  the  left  of  the  corner,  or  (G), above  the 
line,  or  (H)  below  the  line,  or  (I)  entirely  outside 
of  the  stamp  to  the  right.  These  lines  having  been 
drawn,  the  next  step  in  the  process  was  to  put  in 
the  body  of  the  design,  which  had  been  engraved 
on  a  soft  steel  punch  or  die,  and  then  hardened, 
by  placing  the  die  successively  in  the  position  to 
be  occupied  by  each  stamp  on  the  plate,  and 
"rocking"  it  back  and  forth  under  pressure.  As 
this  process  was  not  as  perfect  as  that  now  employ- 
ed, the  die  was  not  always  placed  in  exactly  the 
proper  position,  not  infrequently  being  too  near 
or  too  far  from  the  vertical  side  lines,  or  the  die 
was  not  rocked  far  enough,  and  the  edges  were  left 
imperfect. 

In  the  design,  it  was  evidently  intended  that  the 
outside  lines  should  be  equally  distant  from  the  top 
and  bottom  labels,  and  the  side  edges  of  the  block, 


—  100  — 

and  that  the  corners  should  be  exactly  mitered. 
The  top  and  bottom  lines  are  practically  always  at 
the  same  distance  from  the  labels,  and  one  engraver 
maintains  that  they  were  engraved  on  the  die.  But 
specimens  are  plentiful  in  which  (a)  the  top  and 
bottom  line  projects  beyond  the  side  line,  or  (b) 
does  not  touch  it,  or  rarely  (c)  is  double  or  split, 
or  again  the  side  line  (d)  projects  beyond  the  top 
or  bottom  line,  or  (e)  does  not  touch  it.  Again, 
instead  of  the  side  line  being  (f)  at  the  proper 
distance  from  the  corner  blocks,  it  is  not  infre- 
quently (g)  too  far  from  one  or  more  of  them,  or 
(h)  too  near  one  or  more  of  them,  or  (i)  touches 
one  or  more  of  them.  Again,  the  side  line  is  found 
(j)  connecting  with  the  next  stamp  above  or  below, 
and  occasianally  there  is  a  second  line  (J)  near  this 
between  two  stamps. 

In  the  die  itself  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  lower 
left  block  is  almost  always  a  little  further  to  the  left 
than  the  top  one,  in  fact,  that  the  distance  from  the 
right  of  the  right  block  to  the  left  of  the  left  block 
is  about  K  of  a  mm.  greater  at  the  bottom  than  at 
the  top  of  the  stamp.  The  lower  right  rosette  is  a 
little  too  far  also  to  the  right,  ordinarily  at  least. 
The  blocks  vary  in  size  in  the  same  and  different 
stamps,  as  well  as  the  diamonds  in  them,  which  are 
not  of  uniform  shape  or  size.  The  labels  above 
and  below  are  crowded  upon  the  rosettes.  The 
sides  of  the.  groundwork  should  terminate  in  a 
straight  line,  formed  by  the  bases  of  the  little  col- 
ored triangles,  which  touch  each  other.  But  this 


—  101  — 

line  is  often  broken  in  appearance  as  parts  of  it  are 
too  finely  cut,  or  the  die  was  not  rocked  far  enough. 
In  some  cases  this  seems  to  have  been  remedied  by 
re-engraving  this  line,  and  there  is  a  heavy  line, 
independent  of  the  base  lines  of  the  triangles  ex- 
tending, (K)  from  rosette  to  rosette,  (L)from  the 
lower  rosette  to  the  upper  triangle,  (M)  from  the 
lower  rosette  to  the  middle  of  the  upper  triangle, 
(N)  from  the  lower  rosette  to  the  top  of  the  upper 
triangle,  (O)  from  the  lower  rosette  to  the  upper 
block,  (P)  a  light  line  extending  from  the  lower 
rosette  to  the  upper  block,  (Q)  a  heavy  lino  extend- 
ing from  the  middle  of  the  lower  block  to  the  upper 
triangle,  (R)  or  from  the  middle  of  the  lower  trian- 
gle to  the  upper  rosette.  Frequently  there  is  a 
light  line  (S)  from  the  side  of  the  triangle  in  the 
corner  to  the  adjacent  block.  The  triangles  are  or- 
dinarily shaded  by  horizontal  parallel  lines,  and  are 
formed  by  a  single  fine  line  on  the  top  and  vertical 
sides,  while  the  curved  side  is  double.  But  the 
following  variations  occur :  (T)  the  triangle  has  a 
heavy  side  line,  (U)  a  double  side  line,  (V)  a  triple 
side  line,  (W)  is  white  or  nearly  so,  the  horizontal 
line  having  disappeared. 

Again  it  will  be  found  that  there  are  added  lines 
along  the  whole  or  part  of  either  side  line,  making 
these  double,  or  even  triple.  Thus  whether  there 
is  a  distinct  line,  as  described,  between  the  rosettes, 
etc..  or  not,  if  the  next  line  be  called  the  frame  line, 
there  may  be  found  varieties  with  an  extra  line  out- 
side the  frame  line,  but  (k)  very  near  it,  (1)  farther 


—  102  — 

from  it,  (ra)  very  heavy,  the  frame  line  being  thin, 
(n)  the  frame  line  split  into  two  parts  from  the  mid- 
dle up,  (o)  frame  line  split  into  two  parts  from 
chin  up,  (p)  two  extra  side  lines  all  the  way,  (q) 
extra  line  from  the  level  of  the  chin  to  the  upper 
rosette,  (r)  extra  line  from  the  level  of  the  lips  to 
upper  rosette,  (s)  from  the  level  of  the  lips  to  the 
centre  of  the  rosette,  (t)  from  the  level  of  the  nose 
to  the  top  of  the  triangle,  (u)  from  the  level  of  the 
breast  to  the  top  of  the  triangle,  (v)  opposite  the 
bottom  rosette.  If  there  be  added  to  these  letters  the 
numerals  I  to  express  the  left  side,  2  the  right  when 
the  variations  occur  along  the  whole  side,  and  1  for 
the  top,  3  for  the  bottom  on  the  left  side,  2  for  the 
top,  and  4  for  the  bottom  on  the  right  side,  when 
the  variations  occur  only  at  the  top  or  bottom,  the 
following  table  will  facilitate  investigation. 

On  the  On  the 

LaftheT  Specimens  Showing  *gg« 

Top  Bottom  Top  Bottom 

A1  broad  margin  over  6  mm.  and  no  line  A2 
B1            "        "        ver.  line  6mm.  from  stamp      B2 

CL           "        u               "      2£to3|       "  C2 
D1            "        "                       printer's  imprint      D2 

dot  on  or  near  the  corner  E2     E4 

"     "   the  end  line,  away  from  corner  F2    .F2 

«    above         "  G2     G2 

"    below         "  H2    H2 

"     outside  the  corner  I2      I2 

a1     a3  end  line  projecting  beyond  the  corner  a2     a4 

b1     b3-  "       "    not  touching                  "  b2     b4 

c3  "       u    split  or  double  c4 

d1     d3  side   "    projecting  beyond        "  d2     d4 


—  103  — 

e1     e3     "      "   not  touching  "  e2     e4 

fl      f3     "      "   ordinary  distance  from  block       f2      f4 

gl        g3        it          U     too  far    from  ii  g2        g4 

nl        n3        ti          U     toQ  Cloge    to  «  h2        n4 

i1      i3      "      "   touching  the  "  i2      i4 

j1      j3      "      "   connecting  with  the  next  stamp  j2      j4 

"      "   and  another      "  "        "       J2     

K1     heavy  "  from  rosette  to  rosette  K2 

L1          "      "      "    low.  roset.  to  up'r  triangle      L2 

M1         u      "      "    lo.  r.  to  mid.  of  "        ««  M2 

N1         "      "      "        '.'    ';  top  of    "        4t  N2 

O1      "  'u      *•      "        "     '•  "  block         O2' 

P1      light   u      "        "     "  «-      4k  P2 

Q1      heavy"      u    mid.  low.  block  to  triangle      Q2 

R1         "      "      "  "         tri.  to  up.  roset.      K2 

S1      S2  fine    "      "     triangle  to  adjoining  blockS2       S4 

T1     T-  triangle  with     heavy  side  line  T2     T4 

U1     IP  u  extra         "  U-     U4 

yi      v2-  "  2      "  u  V-2-     V4 

W1    W*  "  white  or  nearly  so  W-    W^ 

k1      extra  line,  outside  frame  line  near  it  k2 

ji  u        i«         u  u         far  off  1- 

m1     heavy    "         "        thin  frame  line  m- 

n1      frame     "     split  into  2  parts  half  way  n- 

nl  u  u  «  «  3/  " 

u  X4 

p1  two  extra  lines,  continuous 

q1  extra  line  frame,  lev.  of  chin  to  up'r  roset.     ... 

r1  "  "  "     lips  u 

s1  "  «4  "        "     center  roset.     ....  _[ 

t1  "  "  "     nose,  topoftrian.     ..:. 

u1          "  "  "     breast,        " 

v1          "          opposite  the  bottom  rosette 

All  the  variations  mentioned  in  this  table  have  been 
found.  It  is  scarcely  possible  that  each  of  them  ex- 
ists separately,  i.  e.  :  on  specimens  that  are  in  other 


—  304  — 

respects  normal.  Many  of  them  have  been  found 
so,  but  most  of  them  only  in  combination.  The  fol- 
lowing may  be  mentioned: 

A,  B.C,D.  Specimens  showing  broad  margins  with 
no  outer  Hue,  with  outer  line  6mm.  from  stamp,  with 
outer  line  about  3mm.  from  the  stamp,  or  with  printer's 
imprint,  have  been  found,  both  from  the  left  and  right 
sides  of  the  sheet,  with  all  the  other  parts  normal.  These 
would  be, 

J^i    f  1    2  3   4       A  2   fl    2  3   4^     g  1    fl    2   3   4        J}2   fl    2   3   4 
Cl    fl    2   3   4?     C2   f1    2   3   4,     D2   f1    2   3   4,     D2   f1    2   3   4,      , 

With  the  vertical  line  about  3  mm.  from  the  stamp, 
three  corners  only  normal,the  side  line  too  near  the  lower 
right  block,  a  dot  on  the  upper  right  corner,  the  right  line 
connected  with  the  stamp  below,  and  a  fine  line  from 
each  of  the  upper  triangles  to  the  block  above,  which 
would  be  O2  f1  2  3  h4  E2  j4  S2  4. 

And  also  with  the  vertical  line  about  3  mm.  from 
the  stamp,  all  the  corners  normal,  a  heavy  line  ter- 
minating the  ground  between  the  rosettes  on  the  right, 
both  the  triangles  on  the  right  connected  with  the 
blocks  next  them,  and  an  extra  vertical  line  in  the  upper 
right  triangle,  which  would  be  C^  iL  *  a  A  K3-  S2-  A  IP, 
which  will  serve  to  show  the  character  of  the  com- 
binations in  which  these  varieties  may  be  found. 

Varieties  showing  the  dot,  E  to  I,  generally  present 
other  varieties  also.  The  following  combinations  may  be 
noted : 

With  the  bottom  line  double,  or  rather  split,  three 
of  the  triangles  have  fine  connecting  lines,  c^  CA  S2-  &  A. 

With  the  right  side  prolongued,  and  continuous  with 
the  side  line  of  the  stamp  above  or  below,  j2  or  jA. 

With  the  right  side  line  prolonged  upwards,  and  con- 
tinuous with  the  lower,  but  not  with  the  upper  stamp 
and  a  second  line  1mm.  to  left  from  stamp  to  stamp,  J^. 


—  105  — 

With  the  extra  line  outside  the  frame  line  on  right 
and  near  it.  all  the  other  parts  being  normal,  the  line  of 
the  ground  work  not  appearing  as  a  separate  line,  k-. 

With  an  extra  line  outside  the  frame  line  on  right  and 
near  it,  a  heavy  line  from  rosette  to  rosette  on  the  right, 
giving  the  appearance  of  three  parallel  lines  on  that 
side,  a  similar  line  from  rosette  to  rosette  on  the  left, 
and  a  tine  line  from  the  upper  right  triangle  to  block, 
k-KiJ-S-. 

With  the  -same  arrangement,  but  the  heavy  line  on  the 
right  of  ground  extends  to  the  top  of  the  upper  triangle, 
there  is  a  fine  line  to  the  block,  k-  K1  N-  S-. 

With  an  extra  line  outside  the  frame  line  on  the  right 
but  further  from  it.  The  left  line  touches  the  rosette, 
and  is  very  near  the  upper  left  block.  The  upper  triangles 
both  have  the  extra  vertical  line,  and  the  right  triangles 
both  have  the  fine  line  connecting  them  with  the  adjacent 
block,  1- hi  U-L-S-4. 

With  the  right  frame  line  split  into  two  parts  in  its 
lower  half.  The  upper  right  triangle  has  the  extra  ver- 
tical line,  and  the  fine  line  to  upper  block,  n2  U2  S2. 

With  the  extra  line  outside  the  left  frame  line,  and  a 
distinct  line  between  the  left  rosettes,  the  right  line  near 
the  corner  blocks,  k1  K1  h2  4. 

With  the  same  peculiarities,  but  frame  line  touches 
the  lower  left  corner,  k1  K1  h2  i4. 

With  two  extra  lines  outside  the  left  frame  line,  and  a 
heavy  line  between  the  left  rosettes,  so  that  the  stamp 
appears  to  have  four  lines  on  that  side.  The  right  frame 
line  runs  from  block  to  block,  touching  both  triangles 
and  rosettes.  There  is  a  dot  in  the  lower  right  corner, 
and  another  to  the  left  of  it,  p1  S1  i2  4  EA  FA. 

With  the  extra  line  on  the  left  very  light,  and  a  heavier 
one  outside,  and  the  ground  does  not  appear  to  end  in  a 
line,  m1. 

With  the  extra  Hue  on  the  left  the  usual  thickness,  and 


—  106  — 

the  frame  line  heavier.    The  right  frame  line  touches 
all  the  parts  on  that  side,  I1  P  4. 

With  the  frame  line  on  the  left  split  into  two  parts 
from  the  level  of  the  chin  up,  the  inner  touches  the  ro- 
sette,the  triangle  and  almost  touches  the  block.  The  right 
frame  line  is  split  into  two  parts  in  the  lower  half.  Both 
the  right  triangles  have  the  liner  line,  and  the  upper  the 
extra  vertical  line,  q1  i1  n2  U2  4  S4. 

With  the  extra  outside  line  from  level  of  lips  to 
the  upper  rosette.  All  four  triangles  are  connected  with 
the  blocks,  the  upper  right  and  lower  left  have  the  extra 
vertical  line,  r1  U1  2  3  4  S3  4- 

With  extra  outside  line  from  level  of  the  lips  to  the 
level  of  the  center  of  the  rosette.  The  frame  line  is  too 
near  the  top  on  the  left,  the  upper  right  triangle  is  con- 
nected with  the  block,  and  has  the  extra  vertical  line, 
the  lower  right  triangle  is  also  connected  with  the  block, 
s1  h1  S2  4  U2. 

With  the  extra  left  line  from  the  level  of  the  nose  to 
the  top  of  the  rosette,  the  upper  right  triangle  connected 
with  the  upper  block,  and  with  extra  vertical  line,  t1 
S2U2. 

With  the  extra  line  on  the  left  from  the  level  of  the 
breast  to  the  top  of  the  rosette,  the  frame  line  is  too  near 
the  upper  left  corner,  and  an  extra  vertical  line  in  all  the 
triangles,  u1  i1  U1  2  3  4. 

With  the  extra  line  on  the  left  opposite  the  bottom  ro- 
sette only.    The  two  upper  triangles  are  connected  with 
the  blocks,  and  an  extra  line  in  the   upper  right  one 
v1  S1  2  U2. 

With  the  left  frame  line  heavjr,  and  too  near  to  the 
bottom  block,  a  split  runs  off  to  left  half  way  down.  Both 
sides  appear  to  have  a  heavy  line  from  rosette  to  rosette, 
but  the  left  one  is  irregular,  all  the  triangles  are  con- 
nected with  the  adjoining  blocks,  and  all  except  the 
lower  right  one  have  the  extra  vertical  line,  h'n^S1  2  3  4 


—  107  — 

In  the  above  descriptions,  no  mention  has  been 
made  of  those  parts  that" are  in  their  proper  ordin- 
ary position. 

These  varieties  are  the  leading  ones,  and  are 
probably  more  than  enough  to  show  the  combin- 
ations. Less  conspicuous  ones  are  numberless. 
Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  adhering  specimens, 
and  the  uncertainty  as  to  how  many  plates 
were  actually  employed,  no  attempt  has  been  made 
to  reconstruct  any  plate.  It  is  perhaps  neces- 
sary to  repeat  that  the  collection  of  any,  except 
perhaps  the  more  marked  varieties,  is  not  advo- 
cated. 

The  color  of  these  stamps  varies  wonderfully, 
every  shade  from  pale  to  dark,  with  yellowish  ver- 
million.  pink,  red.  and  carmine  may  be  found.  Some 
are  undoubtedly  changelings  from  accidental  causes, 
particularly  those  that  run  from  brown  and  black 
brown,  to  an  almost  jet  black,  which  were  at  one 
time  much  sought  after. 

UNPERFORATED  FIVE  CENTS. 

The  stamps  are  about  l/i>  mm.  apart  each  way 
on  the  sheet.  All  have  the  projection  at  the  top 
and  bottom.  Double  and  triple  adhering  speci- 
mens may  be  found,  but  are  rare.  The  imprint  is 
on  the  sides,  \%  mm.  from  the  stamps.  No  speci- 
mens have  been  found  with  vertical  lines. 

The  color  is  generally  dark,  either  a  chestnut 
brown,  or  with  a  stronger  reddish  cast. 


—  108  — 
/ 

UNPERFORATED  TEN  CENTS. 

The  stamps  are  2/^  mm.  apart  each  way  on  the 
sheet.  The  imprint  is  at  about  \%  mm.  from  the 
side  rows.  The  few  specimens  with  the  vertical 
lines  examined,  show  it  at  3  mm.  from  the  stamps. 
The  color  is  a  yellow-green,  of  which  dark  and 
light  impressions  may  readily  be  foii-id.  A  block  of 
four  used,  adhering  2  and  2,  is  possessed  by  Mr. 
Sterling. 

UNPERFORATED  TWELVE  CENTS. 

The  stamps  are  1  mm.  apart  each  way  on  the 
sheet.  The  vertical  line  2H  mm.  from  the  stamps. 
No  specimens  with  the  imprint  have  come  under  the 
notice  of  the  author.  The  color  is  very  uniform, 
slightly  greyish-black.  Adhering  specimens  are 
rare.  A  pair  adhering  by  the  sides,  used,  and  a 
block  of  four  unused,  are  in  Mr.  Sterlings'  collec- 
tion, and  the  curious  specimens  divided  diagonally, 
on  the  original  letters,  in  the  same  collection,  have 
already  been  mentioned. 

UNPERFORATED  TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS. 

The  imprint  is  at  the  side,  \%  mm.  from  the 
stamp.  The  stamps  are  2mm.  apart.  The  rarity  of 
specimens  has  prevented  further  examination.  The 
color  of  the  specimens  seen  is  lilac,  with  the  red- 
dish cast. 


—  109  — 

ONE  CENT  "CARRIER,"  (FRANKLIN.) 

This  stamp  was  never  issued  perforated.  The 
imprint  is  4  mm.  from  the  side  rows,  and  the  stamps 
are  about  1  mm.  apart. 

ONE  CENT  "CARRIER,"  (EAGLE.) 

This  stamp  was  never  issued  perforated,  and  any 
specimens  so  catalogued  will  be  found  to  be  the  re. 
prints.  The  printer's  imprint  is  at  the  bottom  or 
top  of  the  four  centre  rows  in  the  sheet.  As  the 
Department  is  accustomed  to  call  the  half  sheets  is- 
sued "sheets,"  it  is  often  difficult  to  know  which  is 
meant.  It  has  been  stated  that  there  are  only  100 
stamps  on  the  plate.  The  imprint  is  4  mm,  from 
the  stamps,  and  the  places  where  the  stamps  are  to 
be  cut  apart  are  indicated  by  single  lines  ruled  hor- 
izontally and  vertically. 


XIX. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1857- 

Without  any  change  in  the  law,  and,  so  far  as  is 
known,  without  any  announcement  of  the  improve- 
ment, on  the  24th  of  February,  1857,  the  three  cent 
value  of  the  type  of  1851  was  issued  perforated, 
and  the  other  values  of  the  series  speedily  followed 
with  the  perforation,  and  so  remained  without  addi- 
tion until  the  middle  of  1860. 

ISSUE  OP. 1857. 

Same  values,  types  and  colors  as  the  prior  issue, 
perforated  with  15  holes  in  the  space  of  two  mille- 
metres, 

Plate  impresion,  in  color,  -on  white  paper,  perfor- 
ated 15. 

1  cent,  shades  of  indigo  blue. 
3    "          "       "  red. 
5    "          "       "  brown. 
10    "  "       "  green. 

12    "  "       '-  black. 

The  report  of  the  Postmaster  General,  dated  De- 
cember 1st,  1860,  states  that: 


—  Ill  — 

"  Larger  denominations  of  postage  stamps  have  been 
adopted  and  introduced,  especially  intended  for  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  requisite  facilities  to  prepay  the  post- 
age on  letters  to  foreign  countries,  and  of  removing  all 
excuse  heretofore  existing  for  paying  such  postages  in 
money.  The  new  denominations  are  twenty-four  cents, 
thirty  cents  and  ninety  cents.  The  two  latter  have  been 
introduced  since  July  1st,  last,"  i.  e.  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  new  fiscal  year. 

ISSUE  OF  JUNE  15TH,   1860. 

TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS.  The  stamp  described  on 
page  95  as  prepared  imperforated  in  1856,  but  not 
regularly  issued  in  that  condition,  was  now  issued 
perforated, 

Plate  impression,  18/2  by  25  mm,,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  15. 

1    24  cents,  lilac. 

ISSUE  OF  AUGUST  12TH,  1860. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Head  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  in 
profile  to  the  left,  similar  to  that  on  the  Carrier's 
Stamp  of  September,  1851,  on  an  oval  disk  with 
hatched  back-ground  bounded  by  a  colorless  line 
ornamented  by  a  single  fine  colored  line.  A  colored 
back-ground  fills  out  the  rectangle  and  is  ornamented 
by  a  shield  of  the  United  States  in  each  of  the  four 
corners,  the  bottom  of  the  shields  pointed  towards 
the  center,  and  the  ground  just  behind  them  orna- 
mented by  colorless  rays,  with  a  foliated  orna- 
ment on  each  side  of  them.  Between  the  ornaments 
in  colorless  capitals,  on  the  solid  ground,  above,  in 
two  lines, "IT.  S."  and  "Postage,"  below  "30,"  on 


—  112  — 

the  left  side  "  Thirty,"  and  on  the  right  side"  Cents." 
Plate  impression,  20 by  24  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  15. 

30  cents,  orange. 

ISSUE  OF  AUGUST   13TH,  1860. 

NINETY  CENTS.  Bust  of  Washington,  in  General's 
uniform,  after  Trumbal,  faced  three  quarters  to  the 
left,  on  closely  hatched  ground,  appearing  nearly 
solid,  square  below,  arched  above,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line.  Solid  arched  label  above,  inscribed 
in  colorless  capitals,  "T7.  S.  Postage"  •  below,  solid 
straight  label,  inscribed  in  the  same  letters  "Ninety 
Cents."  The  ends  of  the  upper  label  are  curved  in- 
wards, those  of  the  lower  label  outwards,  and  the 
colorless  line  borders  the  ends  and  remaining  side 
of  each.  Outside  a  double  colored  line  borders  all, 
forming  foliated  ornaments,  etc.  There  is  an  add- 
ed colored  line  at  the  top  and  bottom,  and  fine 
lines  shading  the  ornaments. 

Plate  impression,  18>£  by  24  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  15. 

90  cents,  deep  indigo  blue. 

The  twenty-four  cents  was  required  to  prepay  the 
single  rate  of  postage  on  letters  to  England,  and 
the  thirty  cents  to  prepay  the  single  rate  on  letters 
to  Germany.  The  ninety  cents  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  required  for  any  single  rate.  The  con- 
tract with  the  Bank  Note  Engravers,  Toppan,  Car- 
penter and  Co.,  expired  on  the  10th  of  June,  1861, 
and  all  the  stamps  made  b}T  them  were  withdrawn 


—  113  — 

from  circulation,  and  ceased  to  be  available  for 
postage,  between  August  1st,  1861,  and  January 
1st  1862,  as  will  appear  from  the  circulars  quoted, 
relating  to  the  issue  of  1861.  They  have  been  re- 
printed, differently  perforated,  and  sold  to  collec- 
tors by  the  department.  (See  chapter  on  reprints.) 

OBSERVATIONS. 

The  one,  three,  five,  ten  and  twelve  cent  values 
were  first  made  by  perforating  sheets  from  the  origi- 
nal plates,  and  later,  certain  changes  were  made 
that  require  to  be  noticed. 

ONE  CENT,  PERFORATED. 

The  first  perforated  sheets  being  from  the  same 
plates  as  the  unperf orated,  the  same  observations 
apply  to  them.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  these  had 
the  fine  colored  line  outside  the  labels  at  the  top 
and  bottom.  Owing  to  the  nearness  of  the  stamps 
on  the  sheets  the  perforation  generally  cut  into  the 
stamps,  either  at  the  top  or  bottom,  and  cut  these 
lines,  but  the  remains  will  be  found  on  the  points 
left  between  the  holes.  Careful  search  will  secure 
specimens  in  which  both  these  lines  are  intact, though 
they  are  somewhat  rare.  The  vertical  lines,  print- 
er's imprint,  etc.,  are  of  course  in  the  same  posi- 
tions, and  the  same  varieties  of  finer  or  coarser  lines 
may  be  found.  The  color  varies  in  the  same  de- 
gree. The  paper  is  apparently  the  same,  with  the 
same  tinting,  from  the  imperfectly  wiped  plates. 

In   later   specimens,    however,   the  attempt  was 


—  114  — 

made  to  keep  the  perforations  from  impinging  on 
the  printed  portion.  This  was  done- by  remov- 
ing the  larger  portion  of  the  fine  colored  lines  out- 
side the  labels,  and  with  them,  portions  of  the  upper 
and  lower  ornament 3.  In  many  cases,  they  appear 
to  have  been  wiped  off,  and  the  ends  are  smudged. 
In  others,  they  are  clear  and  distinct.  A  great 
many  varieties  result,  as  a  greater  or  less  portion  of 
the  lines  or  ornaments  were  removed.  Some  of  them 
are  curious  enough,  in  stamps  that  have  always  been 
supposed  to  present  no  varieties.  The  fact  being 
pointed  out,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  attempt  to 
distinguish  them. 

The  vertical  lines  and  printer's  imprints  are  in 
the  same  positions.  The  stamps  are  still  so  near 
together  that  evenly  perforated  specimens,  i,  e.  ; 
specimens  in  which  the  perforation  does  not  cut 
some  portion  of  the  stamp,  are  not  easily  found. 

Two  marked  varieties  may  be  noticed.  In  one,  the 
outer  fine  line  is  removed  above  the  top  label,  while 
that  under  the  bottom  is  left  intact.  In  the  other, 
this  outer  line  is  removed  below  the  bottom  label, 
while  it  remains  intact  above  the  top  label.  Both 
these  variations  are  exceedingly  uncommon  and 
appear  to  belong  to  the  bottom  and  top  rows  of  the 
sheet  respectively,  though  this  has  not  been  veri- 
fied. The  same  observations  may  be  repeated  as 
to  variations  in  the  thickness  of  lines,  the  color  of 
the  paper  and  the  impression. 

Oddities.  Specimen  showing  two  rows  of  perfor- 
ations at  the  top  and  bottom.  Specimen  without 
the  outer  lines  to  labels,  unperforated. 


—  115  — 

THREE  CENTS  PERFORATED. 

The  first  perforated  sheets  of  the  three  cents 
were  from  the  same  plate  as  the  last  unperforated 
sheets,  and  consequently  have  the  rectangular  out- 
side frame  lines,  not  only  at  the  sides,  but  at  the 
top  and  bottom  as  well.  As  the  stamps  measure 
25  mm.  vertically  and  are  only  1  mm.  apart,  and 
the  horizontal  rows  of  perforation  are  about  25  J 
mm.  from  center  to  center  of  the  holes  vertically, 
the  perforations  generally  cut  into  the  stamp  and 
partially  obliterate  these  lines.  As  the  stamps  are 
only  1  mm.  apart  at  the  sides,  and  are  19s  mm. 
wide,  and  the  vertical  rows  of  perforations  are  20i 
mm.  from  center  to  center  of  the  holes  horizontally 
and  the  holes  are  nearly  1  mm.  in  diameter,  the 
side  perforations  also  usualty  cut  into  some  part 
of  the  stamp.  It  is  therefore  quite  difficult  to  find 
good  specimens  of  this  variety,  and  to  distinguish 
some  of  the  minor  varieties,  as  the  corners  are 
generally  imperfect.  Specimens  were  found  show- 
ing the  sheet  cut  along  the  colored  vertical  line, 
and  (X)  perforated  between  this  line  and  the 
stamp,  from  either  half  of  the  sheet.  New  plates 
were  however,  soon  constructed.  In  one  of  these, 
No.  24,  the  side  lines  are  drawn  on  the  plate  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  are  about  19a  mm. 
apart.  The  fine  outer  lines  at  the  top  and  bottom 
are  entirely  omitted.  The  maker's  imprint, kl  Top- 
pan,  Carpenter  &  Co.,  Bank  Note  Engravers, 
Phila.,  New  York, Boston  and  Cincinnati,"!^  mm. 
from  the  outer  rows,  is  68  mm.  long.  "  No.  24  P," 


-116  — 

is  4  mm.  from  the  outer  rows.  The  vertical  center 
line  is  1%  mm.  from  the  stamp.  The  sheet  meas- 
ures 418  mm.  from  side  to  side,  and  252i  mm. 
from  top  to  bottom  of  the  printed  part.  The  pa- 
per is  447  by  283  mm.  The  vertical  rows  of  stamps 
are  Ik  mm.  apart,  and  the  vertical  rows  of  perfor- 
ations nearly  21  mm.  apart  horizontally  from  cen- 
ter to  center  of  the  holes.  The  last  two  rows 
at  the  sides  are  a  little  further  apart.  The  hori- 
zontal rows  of  holes  are  25i  mm.  apart  vertically. 
Most  of  the  differences  in  the  stamps  on  this 
sheet  arise  from  the  fact  that  the  central  portion 
is  not  always  placed  in  the  same  position  in  regard 
to  the  vertical  lines.  A  few  of  the  stamps  show 
dots  in  or  near  the  corners. 

In  some  the  lines  are  too  near  some  of  the  corn- 
ers, in  some  too  far  off,  and  in  others  they  touch 
and  even  cut  into  the  blocks.  Some  few  show 
double  or  partly  double  lines. 

The  whole  sheet  from  plate  24,  above  mentioned, 
does  not  contain  all  the  varieties  round,  nor  are 
they  arranged  just  in  the  same  order  that  they  ap- 
pear in  portions  of  other  sheets  examined. 

All  the  varieties  possible,  considering  merely  the 
position  of  the  corners  and  side  lines,  would  be  246. 
So  that  each  stamp  on  a  sheet  might  be  differ- 
ent in  this  respect  without  showing  them  all, 

In  sheet  24  however,  only  32  exist.  There  are 
therefore,  a  number  of  each  variety,  as  follows,  by 
the  table  previously  given: 


—  117  - 

hhhh  ...  1         hiif 1         ifih  ...   .   2         fihh 5 

hhhf 2         hifh 1         ifif 13         fiih 8 

hhih 16         hfif 3         fhhh  2  fiii 


hhif 

20 

ihih  . 

...14 

fhhi  

1 

f  iif  .. 

9 

hihh 
hihi... 

2 
2 

ihif.... 
iiih  ... 

...32 

....  7 

fhhf  
fhih  

2 
3 

fihh  ... 
fihi 

2 
3 

hiih  .. 
hiii  .. 

20 
5 

iiii  .... 
iiif  ... 

...12 
.   1 

fhif  
fhff.... 

5 
1 

ffhf  .. 
ff  if  .... 

1 
....2 

The  llth  stamp  in  the  first  horizontal  row,  the 
llth  and  12th  in  the  second  row,  the  13th  in  the  4th 
row,  and  the  17th  to  20th  in  the  10th  row  show  an 
extra  line  to  the  left  of  the  left  bottom  rosette.  Vx. 

In  the  18th  vertical  row  the  left  line  actually 
cuts  through  the  left  block  in  four  specimens  which 
are  marked  as  if  it  merely  touched  in  the  forego- 
ing list. 

The  14th  and  loth  stamps  in  the  tip  row  show 
the  dot. 

The  13th,  16th,  17th,  18th,  19th  and  20th  stamps 
in  the  upper  row  show  the  right  vertical  line  not 
only  too  far.  g2  g4  ,  as  marked,  but  very  far  from 
the  corner  block. 

The  9th  stamp  in  the  upper  row  has  the  double 
left  line. 

The  center  stamps  of  this  sheet  are  all  of  the 
varieties  marked  hiih  in  the  list,  on  the  right  half 
of  the  sheet,  and  hhih  or  hhif,  on  the  left  half. 

None  of  the  more  prominent  varieties  are  to  be 
found  on  this  sheet  unless  the  9th  stamp  in  the 
upper  row  may  be  considered  as  such.  Loose 
specimens  from  other  plates  show  the  vertical  line 
only  %  mm.  from  the  stamps.  Some  of  these  are 


—  118  — 

otherwise  like  those  mentioned  before,  and  hfhg, 
gfff  and  ffhf  from  the  left  side,  and  hfhh,  fhfg, 
fgfg  and  ifig  have  also  been  noted.  The  above  are 
all  cut  at  or  nenr  the  vertical  line,  Some  of  the  same 
varieties  exist  perforated  along  this  line,  and  higg 
and  fihh  exist  also  so  perforated.  In  loose  speci- 
mens have  also  been  found,  igig,  ihih,  if  if,  hhhf, 
hhhi,hhfh,  hhff,hhif,hfhh,hfif,hfig,hgig,  hgif,  hifi, 
hiih,  gfgh,  gfgf,  gfff,  ghgh,  gigi,  ffff,  fffh,  ffhg, 
fgfg,  fghf,  fghg,  fgig,  fhfh,  figh,  varieties  not  on 
sheet  from  plate  24. 

Passing  now  from  these  varieties  dependent  up- 
on the  nearness  of  the  lines  and  corner  blocks  the 
following  more  interesting  variations  may  be  found: 

With  the  upper  left  corners  too  far  from  the 
blocks,  the  others  being  ordinary;  there  is  an  ex- 
tra line  outside  the  frame  line  and  close  to  it,  at 
the  right,  g  :  f  2  3  4  k  2 . 

With  the  upper  left  corner  too  far  from  the  block, 
the  lower  left  corner  too  near  to  the  block,  an  ex- 
tra line  outside  the  frame  line  and  close  to  it. 

gl     f  2    h  3  f_4    k2 

With  the  upper  left  corner  too  far  from  the  block, 
the  others  ordinary,  the  frame  line  light,  the  extra 
line  heavier.  Numerous  specimens  showing  the 
frame  line  broken,  those  with  it  perfect  are  much 
rarer,  g1  f 2  3  4  m  2  . 

With  the  upper  right  corner  very  near  the  block, 
all  the  others  ordinary  but  the  right  frame  line  runs 
only  half  way  down,  and  into  the  ground  work. 
The  extra  line  outside  is  the  real  side  line,  beginning 


—  119  — 

oo  far  from  the  upper  right  corner,  and  running 
down  to  the  right  position  at  the  bottom  (Y).  Both 
the  triangles  on  the  right  have  the  fine  line  connect- 
ing them  with  the  adjacent  blocks,  and  also  the 
extra  vertical  line,  f1  i2  t3  4  Y2  S2  4  U2  4. 

With  the  side  line  on  the  right  starting  at  the  usual 
distance  from  the  block,  and  runing  off  to  the  right, 
and  ending  half  way  down,  at  nearly  twice  the  dist- 
ance from  the  body  of  the  stamps  at  which  it  start- 
ed. A  second  line  starts  at  the  proper  distance 
from  the  stamp,  and  inside  the  other  at  about  the 
level  of  the  lower  point  of  the  upper  triangle, 
and  runs  off  to  the  right,  down  to  the  level  of  the 
lower  rosette.  A  third  line  starts  at  the  proper 
distance  from  the  stamp,  inside  this  at  about  the 
middle  of  the  stamp,  and  runs  down  straight,  (Z) 
g1  f2  i3  f4  S123Z2. 

With  the  right  line  split  about  2  way  down,  into 
two  or  three  parts,  i1  f23  g4  n2. 

With  an  extra  line  on  both  sides,  f1  2  g3  f4  k1  k2. 

With  an  extra  line  outside  the  left  frame  line,  but 
far  from  it  (almost  the  same  distance  as  the  frame 
line  is  from  the  blocks),  f1  f2  h3  g4  P. 

With  the  frame  line  thin,  often  broken,  and  the 
extra  line  heavy  and  further  off.  The  outer  line  is 
really  the  one  drawn  on  the  plate,  and  the  inner 
line  probably  put  in  afterwards.  A  number  of  dif- 
fering specimens.  Also  one  in  which  there  is  no 
side  line  on  the  left  except  a  very  thin  line  from  the 
level  of  the  chin  down,  and  another  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  lower  triangle  down,  apparently  an  im- 


—  120  — 

pression  from  a  worn  plate,  the  left  margin  is  wide, 
the  perforation  cutting  into  the  next  stamp,  m1  in 

varieties. 

With  the  left  frame  line  split  into  two  parts  from 

the  level  of  the  chin  up,    n1. 

These  variations,  and  a  few  others  easily  recog- 
nized, not  found  in  the  imperf orate  stamps  add 
to  the  table. 

LEFT.  RIGHT. 

Top,  Botom.  1°P>  Bottom 

X1       perforated  along  center  line  X2 

extra  line  inside  half  way  Y2 

side  line  starts  thrice  Z2 

extra  Hue  opposite  lower  ^  of  stamp  w4 

«  "  "     %      "  x4 

"        cen.ofroset.  to  cen.  of  stamp  y4 

"        lower  block  to  upper  "  z4 

The  color  of  all  these  stamps  varies  like  the  un- 
perf orated  greatly,  and  the  same  remarks  concern- 
ing it  might  be  here  repeated. 

PERFORATED  FIVE  CENTS. 

The  stamps  are  2i  mm.  apart  between  the  sides 
and  li  between  the  tops  and  bottoms ;  the  imprint 
etc.,  as  before.  In  these  sheets  the  perforations 
generally  cut  into  the  stamp.  They  were  printed 
in  many  varying  shades  of  several  colors ;  dark 
brown,  dark  black-brown,  yellow  brown,  red  brown, 
and  almost  rose. 

The  second  plate  was  slightly  altered.  The  lit- 
tle projection  or  salie  at  the  top  and  bottom  was 
partially  or  wholly  removed,  forming  the  following 
variations : 


—  121  — 
5  cents  perforated,      projection  at  top  and  bottom. 

( t  a  1  1 1  c  t  u 

"         no         "  "      or         " 

The  color  is  very  variable,  numerous  shades  of 
dark  black-brown,  dark  chestnut-brown,  Drown, 
and  yellow-brown  may  be  found. 

PERFORATED  TEN  CENTS, 

The  stamps  were  apparently,  a  little  further 
apart  in  some  sheets  than  in  others,  and  the  color 
presents  only  shades  of  the  yellow-green.  A 
specimen  is  shown  perforated  in  two  rows  at  the 
sides. 

PERFORATED  TWELVE  CENTS. 

There  seems  to  have  been  no  change  in  this 
value.  An  oddity  is  shown,  showing  two  extra 
lines  at  the  right. 

TWENTY-FOUR,  THIRTY  AND  NINETY  CENTS. 

The  plates  for  these  values  having  been  pre- 
pared with  a  view  to  perforating,  the  stamps  are 
arranged  about  1%  mm.  apart  between  the  sides, 
and  IK  mm.  apart  between  the  tops  and  bottoms. 
There  is  very  little  difference  to  be  noted  in  the 
color  beyond  a  dark  and  lighter  shade  of  the  orange 
of  the  thirty  cents, and  of  the  dark  blue  of  the  ninety 
cents.  There  are  however,  two  shades  of  the  lilac 
of  the  twenty-four  cents,  a  red  and  a  blue  cast. 


XX. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1861. 

The  reason  for  the  introduction  of  this  issue  is 
not  to  be  found  in  any  change  in  the  law.  The  re- 
port of  the  Postmaster  General,  dated  on  Decem- 
ber 2d,  1861,  states  thai: 

"The  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  postage  .stamps 
having  expired  on  the  10th  of  June,  1861,  a  new  one 
was  entered  into  with  the  National  Bank  Note  Company 
of  New  York,  upon  terms  very  advantageous  to  the  De- 
partment, from  which  there  will  result  an  annual  saving 
of  more  than  thirty  per  cent,  in  the  cost  of  the  stamps. 
In  order  to  prevent  the  fraudulent  use  of  the  large 
quantity  of  stamps  remaining  unaccounted  for,  in  the 
hands  of  postmasters  in  the  disloyal  States,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  change  the  design  and  the  color  of 
those  manufactured  under  the  new  contract,  and  also 
to  modify  the  design  of  the  stamp  upon  the  stamped 
envelope,  and  to  substitute  as  soon  as  possible  the  new 
for  the  old  issues.  It  was  the  design  of  the  Department 
that  the  distribution  of  the  new  stamps  and  envelopes 
should  commence  on  the  lirst  of  August,  but,  from  una- 
voidable delays,  that  of  the  latter  did  not  take  place  un- 
til the  15th  of  that  month.  *  *  *  Those  of  the  old  issue 
have  been  exchanged  and  superseded.  The  old  stamps 


—  123  — 

on  hand,  and  such  as  were  received  by  exchange,  at  the 
larger  offices,  have  been  to  a  great  extent  counted  and 
destroyed,  and  those  at  the  smaller  offices  returned  to 
the  Department." 

The  Act  of  the  27th  Congress,  Statute  II,  Chap- 
ter 37,  Section  14,  approved  March  3d,  1861,  had 
so  qualified  the  Act  of  1851 : 

uAs  to  require  the  ten  cent  rate  of  postage  to  be  pre- 
paid on  letters  in  the  mail,  from  any  point  in  the  United 
States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  any  State  or  Ter- 
ritory on  the  Pacific,  and  from  any  State  or  Territory 
on  the  Pacific  to  any  point  in  the  United  States  east  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  And  all  drop  letters  shall  be 
prepaid  by  postage  stamps." 

Other  sections  also  introduced  minor  changes  in 
the  rates  on  printed  matter,  which  it  is  not  import- 
ant to  notice. 

The  denomination  of  the  stamps  of  the  new  issue 
therefore  remained  at  first  the  same. 

The  circular  letter  from  the  Department  to  the 
several  postmasters,  informing  them  of  the  change 
is  as  follows : 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Finance  Office 1861. 

POSTMASTER, 

Sir:  You  will  receive  herewith  a  supply  of  post- 
age stamps  which  you  will  observe  are  of  a  new  style, 
differing  both  in  design  and  color  from  those  hitherto 
used,  and  having  the  letters  U.S.  in  the  lower  corners 
of  each  stamp,  and  its  respective  denomination  indicat- 
ed by  figures  as  well  as  letters.  You  will  immediately 
give  public  notice  through  the  newpapers  and  other- 


—  124  — 

wise,  that  you  are  prepared  to  exchange  stamps  of  the 
new  style  for  an  equivalent  amount  of  the  old  issue, 
during  a  period  of  six  days  from  the  date  of  the  notice, 
and  that  the  latter  will  not  thereafter  be  received  in 
payment  of  postage  on  letters  sent  from  your  office. 

You  will  satisfy  yourself  by  personal  inspection  that 
stamps  offered  in  exchange  have  not  been  used  through 
the  mails  or  otherwise;  and  if  in  any  case  you  have 
good  grounds  for  suspecting  that  stamps  presented  to 
you  for  exchange,  were  sent  from  any  of  the  disloyal 
states,  you  will  not  receive  them  without  due  investiga- 
tion. 

Immediatly  after  the  expiration  of  the  above  period  of 
six  days,  you  will  return  to  the  Third  Assistant  Post- 
master General  all  stamps  of  the  old  style  in  your  pos- 
session, including  such  as  you  may  obtain  by  exchange, 
placing  them  in  a  secure  package,  which  must  be  care- 
fully registered  in  the  manner  prescribed  by  Chapter  39, 
of  the  Kegulations  of  this  Department. 

Be  careful  also  to  write  legibly  the  name  of  your  office 
as  well  as  that  of  your  county  and  state.  A  strict  com- 
pliance with  the  foregoing  instructions  is  absolutely 
necessary,  that  you  may  not  fail  to  obtain  credit  for  the 
amount  of  stamps  returned. 

Instead  of  sending  stamps  to  the  Department  you  can 
if  convenient,  exchange  them  for  new  ones  at  some  city 
post  office,  where  large  supplies  are  to  be  found.  It  be- 
ing impossible  to  supply  all  offices  with  new  stamps  at 
once,  you  will  deliver  letters  received  from  Kentucky, 
Missouri,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania, prepayed  by  stamps  of  the  old  issue,  until  Sep- 
tember 10th,  those  from  other  loyal  states  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  until  the  first  of  October,  and  those  from 
the  states  of  California  and  Oregon  and  from  the  Ter- 
ritories of  New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  Washington,  until  the 
first  of  November,  1861. 


—  125  — 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

A.  N.  ZEVELY, 
Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

A  second  issue  of  this  circular  merely  extended 
the  dates  September  10th,  October  1st  and  Novem- 
ber 1st, 1861  to  November  1st,  December  1st,  1861, 
and  January  1st,  1862,  respectively. 

ISSUE  OF  AUGUST  14TH,  1861. 

The  portraits  upon  the  8  types  or  values  of  this 
issue  seem  to  be  copied  from  tne  same  pictures  as 
were  those  on  the  corresponding  denominations  of 
the  preceeding  issue.  The  same  values  are  repre- 
sented, that  is : 

ONE  CENT,  Portrait  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  in 
profile  to  the  right,  on  an  oval  disk  with  engine 
turned  ground  of  interlaced  colored  lines  on  a 
solid  colored  ground,  framed  round  with  interlaced 
colorless  lines  of  engine  turned  work  on  solid  col- 
ored ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  with  ex- 
terior fine  colored  line.  "?7.  S.  Postage"  in  color- 
less ordinary  capitals  in  a  curved  line  following 
the  oval  above,  "One  Cent"  in  the  same  letters 
and  reversed  curve  below.  Corners  of  quarter 
circles  and  two  foliated  ornaments.  "7"  and  "7" 
in  the  upper  and  "f/"  and  "$"  in  the  lower  cor- 
ners, in  ornamental  colorless  numerals  and  letters, 
on  a  vertically  lined  ground, 

Plate  impression,  20  by  25imm.,in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  Cent,  pale  and  dark  blue. 


—  126  — 

THREE  CENTS,  Head  of  Washington,  in  profile  to 
left,  upon  engine  turned  ground  with  sinuous 
frame  of  interlaced  engine  turned  colorless  lines 
upon  a  solid  colored  ground,  bordered  by  a  color- 
less line,  with  exterior  fine  colored  line  following 
the  curves  of  the  ground.  Above,  11U.  S."  in  a 
straight  line  with  " Postage  "  below  it  in  an  arched 
line,  and  large  numeral  "<?"  on  each  side.  Below 
the  head  "77*ree,"  in  reversed  curve  with  "Cents" 
in  double  curve  below  and  "  U "  and  " S' '  at  the  sides 
all  in  colorless  capitals  and  numerals  on  the  en- 
gine turned  frame  and  ground,  the  corner  numerals 
and  letters  ornamented.  Corners  and  sides  filled 
out  with  foliated  ornaments. 

Plate  impression,  19i  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

3  cents,  shades  of  rose. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Head  of  Jefferson,  faced  three 
quarters  to  the  left  on  an  oval  disk  with  rectangu- 
lar hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line 
with  fine  colored  exterior  line.  Broad  frame  of 
engine  turned  colorless  lines  on  a  solid  ground, with 
rounded  corners,  and  curved  outwards  at  top,  bot- 
tom and  sides,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  and  a 
fine  colored  line.  Large  "5"  in  upper  corners, 
and  "U.  S.  Postage"  in  a  double  curve  above  the 
oval,  '•''Five  Cents"  in  a  curved  line  following  the 
oval  below,  "U."  in  lower  left,  and  "$."  in  lower 
right  corner,  all  in  colorless  letters  upon  the  engine 
turned  work  of  frame.  The  corners  are  filled  out 
with  foliated  ornaments. 


—  127  — 

Plate  impression,  20  by  25i  mm,,  in  color  upon 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

5  cents,  ocre,  shades  of  brown. 

TEN  CENTS.  Head  of  Washington,  faced  three 
quarters  to  left,  on  a  rectangularly  hatched  ground, 
bordered  by  four  bands,  forming  a  sort  of  oval. 
The  bands  are  bordered  all  around  by  a  colorless 
and  exterior  fine  colored  line.  The  upper  band  is 
inscribed  "U.  S.  Postage,"  on  the  solid  ground, 
and  the  ends  of  the  bands  are  rounded  ;  the  lower 
band  is  inscribed  "Ten  Cents"  on  the  solid  ground, 
and  the  ends  of  the  band  are  curved  inwards ;  the 
side  bands  are  of  irregular  shape,  with  the  ends 
rounded  and  bear  four  stars  each,  on  a  horizontally 
lined  ground.  The  rest  of  the  stamp  is  composed 
of  colorless  foliated  ornaments,  between  colored 
lines  upon  the  solid  ground,  forming  irregular 
ovals  in  the  corners,  with  a  band  between  the  up- 
per ones,  bearing  five  stars,  ''10"  and  "10"  in  the 
upper,  "U."  and  "S."  in  the  lower  corners,  on 
horizontally  lined  ground,  letters,  numerals  and 
stars  all  colorless  in  colored  outlines. 

Plate  impression,  20  by  24i  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

10  cents,  green,  yellew-green. 

TWELVE  CENTS.  Head  of  Washington,  similar 
to  the  ten  cents,  on  an  oval  disk,  with  rectangularly 
hatched  ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  and 
exterior  fine  colored  line.  Broad  frame  of  engine 


—  128  — 

turned  colorless  lines  on  a  solid  ground,  with 
rounded  corners  and  waved  edges,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line,  and  a  fine  colored  line.  The  corn- 
ers are  filled  out  with  loops  on  colored  ground. 
"12"  and  tl!2"  set  diagonally  in  the  upper  corn- 
ers, "U.  S.  Postage"  following  the  curve  of  the 
oval  above,  "Twelve  Cents"  in  double  curve  line 
below,  and  "C7."  and  "S."  in  the  lower  corners. 
The  letters  and  numerals  are  colorless,  with  colored 
outlines  on  the  engine  turned  work  of  frame. 

Plate  impression,  19i  by  24i  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

12  cents,  black. 

TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS.  Small  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington, faced  three  quarters  to  the  right,  on  a  rec- 
tangularly hatched  ground,  surrounded  by  a  fancy 
lozenge-shaped  frame  of  engine  turned  colorless 
lines  on  solid  colored  ground,  bordered  by  a  color- 
less line  and  exterior  fine  colored  line.  The  upper 
corners  are  filled  out  with  foliated  ornaments,  con- 
taining the  numerals  ii24"  and  "24,"  set  diagon- 
ally with  3  colorless  stars  between.  The  lower 
corners  each  contain  a  large  colored  star  between 
foliated  ornaments,  "f."  on  the  left  and  "$." 
on  the  right  star;  11U.  S.  Postage"  above  and 
"Twenty-four  Cents"  below  the  head,  near  and  fol- 
lowing the  outer  curve  of  frame.  The  letters,  num- 
erals and  ornaments  are  all  colorless,  but  with  col- 
ored outlines. 

Plate   impression,    19iby24mm.,    in  color,  on 


—  129  — 

white  paper,  perforated  12. 

24  cents,  lilac. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Head  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  in 
profile  10  left,  on  a  circular  disk  with  diagon- 
ally hatched  ground,  16i  mm.  in  diameter,  bord- 
ered by  a  colorless  line  and  exterior  fine  colored 
line.  A  colorless  line  between  two  fine  colored 
lines,  at  about  2  mm.  from  the  circle,  with  foliated 
ends,  forms  a  label  above  and  below,  the  upper  in- 
scribed ' '  U.  S.  Postage,' '  the  lower  ' '  Thirty  Cents,' ' 
on  lined  ground,  in  colorless  letters  outlined  with 
color.  Foliated  ornaments  without  color,  but  col- 
ored outlines  form  irregular  spaces  in  the  corners, 
with  "30"  and  "30"  in  the  upper,  "U."  and  "/S." 
in  the  lower  ones,  in  colorless  letters  outlined  and 
heavily  shaded  in  color  on  a  lined  ground. 

Plate  impresion,  20  by  24  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

30  cents,  orange. 

NINETY  CENTS.  Head  of  Washington,  in  Gener- 
al's costume,  after  Trumbal's  portrait,  faced  three 
quarters  to  the  left,  on  an  oval  disk,  13i  by  17i 
mm.,  with  rectangularly  hatched  ground,  bordered 
by  a  colorless  line  and  exterior  colored  line,  sur- 
rounded by  a  band  forming  a  point  above  and  below, 
and  bordered  outside  by  a  second  colorless  line  and 
an  exterior  colored  line,  and  crossed  by  fine  colored 
lines.  ".90"  and  " 90"  on  this  band  above,  "Ninety 
Cents"  below  in  colorless  letters  with  colored  out- 


—  130  — 

lines.  Waved  band  with  similar  borders  crossing  the 
former  above,  and  inscribed  "  £7".  S.  Postage"  in  the 
same  letters.  The  lower  corners  are  filled  with  foli- 
ated ornaments  upon  which  are  "U."  and  "$." 
in  similar  letters. 

late   impression,    19  by  24   mm.,    in    color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

90  cents,  indigo  blue. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  original  contract  un- 
der which  these  stamps  were  first  manufactured  by 
the  National  Bank  Note  Co.,  expired  in  1865.  On 
its  expiration  a  new  contract  was  made  with  the 
same  company  for  a  term  of  four  years  longer. 

To  preserve  the  history  of  the  postal  legislation 
of  the  United  States  which  effects  the  use  of  stamps, 
the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  the  XXXVII  Congress, 
Session  III,  Chapter  71,  approved  March  3d,  1863, 
must  be  noted  here,  although  they  did  not  resu  1 
in  any  change  in  the  stamps  in  use,  except  the  add- 
ition of  two  new  values : 

Sec.  3.  No  mail  matter  shall  be  delivered  until  postage 
is  paid . 

Sec.  13.  The  Postmaster  General  is  authorized  to  estab- 
lish branch  offices  for  the  sale  of  stamps,  etc. 

Sec.  17  Postage  must  be  prepaid  at  the  time  of  mail- 
ing on  domestic  letters,  transient  printed  mat- 
ter and  all  other  things  not  herein  provided  for. 

Sec.  18.  Daily,  weekly,  etc.,  publications  must  be  pre- 
paid quarterly  in  advance  by  the  receiver. 

Sec.  23.  Drop  letters  will  be  charged  2  cents,  to  be  pre- 
paid by  postage  stamps,  but  no  carrier's  fee. 

Sec.  32.    The  registration  fee  to   be  fixed  by  the  Post- 


—  131  — 

master  General,  but  not  to  exceed  in  any  case  20 
cents. 

In  accordance  with  tbese  last  provisions  however, 
there  were  issued  two  additional  values. 

The  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  for  the 
year  1863,  states  that  a  two  cent  stamp  had  been 
prepared  and  issued,  principally  to  prepay  the  post- 
age on  drop  letters,  and  the  report  for  1878,  fixes 
the  date  of  issue  at  of  the  1st  of  July,  1863. 

ISSUE  OF  JULY  IST,  1863. 
(As  additional  to  the  series  of  1861.) 

Two  CENTS.  Very  large  head  of  Andrew  Jack- 
son, on  an  oval  disk  with  rectangularly  hatched 
ground,  bordered  by  a  fine  colorless  line  with  an 
exterior  colored  line;  on  a  band  above,  similarly 
bordered,  and  with  parallel  lined  ground,  11U.  S; 
Postage"  in  colorless  capitals  outlined  and  shaded; 
on  short  bands,  similarly  constructed,  below  on  the 
left  "Two,"  on  the  right"  Cents."  Foliated  orna- 
ments in  the  four  corners,  forming  small  solid  cir- 
cles, bearing  the  numeral  "2"  in  the  upper,  and 
colorless  ovals  bearing  "?7,"  on  the  left,  and  "*S." 
on  the  right,  in  irregular  shaped  colored  letters. 

Plate  impression,  20  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  black. 

The  Postmaster  General  having  fixed  the  regis- 
tration fee  at  15  cents,  a  stamp  of  that  denomina- 
tion was  issued. 


—  132  — 

ISSUE  OF  APRIL  IST,  1866. 

FIFTEEN  CENTS.  Bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  on 
an  oval  disk  I3i  by  18mm.  with  rectangularly 
hatched  ground,  borderded  by  a  broad  colorless  line, 
between  two  fine  colored  lines,  and  ornamented  by 
short  horizontal  colored  lines.  On  the  sides,  Ro- 
man fasces,  without  the  ax,  on  each  side.  Above 
on  a  scroll,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  between 
two  fine  colored  lines',  curved  up  and  back  to  form 
small  ovals,  and  ending  at  the  top  in  foliations  and 
inscribed  on  the  band  11U.  S.  Postage"  in  colorless 
capitals,  in  the  ovals  tl!5"  in  colorless  numerals; 
below,  a  curved  band  following  the  outline  of  the 
oval,  similarly  bordered,  and  inscribed  in  similar 
letters  "Ftft  een  Cents";  foliated  ornaments  forming 
colored  ovals  in  the  corners,  with  "C7."  in  the  left, 
"/iS."  in  the  right,  in  colorless  capitals. 

Plate  impression,  19i  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

15  cents,  black. 

Issued  originally  for  registered  letters,  this 
stamp  also  served  the  next  year,  principally  to  pre- 
pay the  postage  on  letters  to  Belgium,  Prussia,  Hol- 
land, Switzerland  and  the  German  Postal  Union. 

The  entire  series  of  1861-63-66  was  reprinted  in 
1874. 

It  may  also  be  noticed,  that  the  act  of  the  XXXIX 
Congress,  Session  I,  Chapter  281,  approved  July  27, 
1866,  authorized  the  use  in  all  post  offices  of  weights 
of  the  denomination  of  grams,  15  grams  to  equal 


—  133  — 

one   half  ounce,  and  the  postal  laws  to  be  applied 
accordingly. 

Also  the  Act  of  the  XL  Congress, Session  I, Chap- 
ter 246,  Section  10  and  11,  approved  July  29th, 
1868,  provided  penalties  for  re-using  stamps  that 
had  once  paid  postage,  and  authorized  the  sale  of 
stamps  at  a  discount  of  five  per  cent  to  persons  to  sell 
again  as  agents. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

The  plates  of  this  issue  having  been  prepared 
with  a  view  of  perforating,  the  stamps  are  placed 
sufficiently  far  apart  to  allow  a  perforation,  without 
ordinarily  cutting  into  the  stamps.  Occasionally 
eccentricities  may  be  found,  which  are  the  result  of 
accident.  The  sheets,  as  in  the  previous  issue,  con- 
sist of  200  stamps,  the  central  point  is  indicated  by 
three  lines  at  the  top  and  at  the  bottom,  and  the 
sheets  are  cut  apart  on  this  line  and  distributed  in 
half  sheets  of  100,  or  ten  stamps  in  ten  rows.  The 
printer's  imprint  is  generally  to  be  found  at  the  cen- 
ter of  the  top  and  bottom  of  each  half  sheet,  at  about 
4  mm.  from  the  printed  stamps,  and  consists  of  a 
small  colored  label  with  a  dotted  edge,  inscribed 
"National  Bank  Note  Co."  preceded  by  "New 
York,"  and  followed  by  "City"  in  colored  capitals. 
The  plate  number  also  appears  near  this. 

The  ONE  CENT  varies  in  color  from  a  pale  blue 
to  a  dark  blue,  generally  of  the  shade  known  as  ul- 
tramarine. The  paper  is  ordinarily  white  with  a 


—  134  — 

yellowish    cast,  but  there  are  specimens  which  ap- 
pear  surfaced   with   the   same   ink  as  the  stamp, 
which  is  probably  an  accident  from  imperfect   wip- . 
ing  of -the  plates,  and  others  the  paper  of  which  has  a 
pale  pink  cast,  both  on  the  front  and  back. 

The  Two  CENTS  varies  from  grey  to  black,  with 
occasional  specimens  partially  tinted  with  the  ink, 
probably  from  the  same  cause  as  in  the  one  cent. 

Variety.     Doubly  perforated  at  the  sides. 

The  THREE  CENTS  varies  from  a  very  faint  rose  to 
a  deep  rose,  with  occasional  specimens  tinted  as  in 
the  other  values,  probably  from  the  same  cause. 
Variety.   Doubty  perforated  at  sides. 

"  top  and  bottom. 

There  are  also  a  few  specimens  known  of  a  scar- 
let tint.  They  resemble  the  ordinary  stamps  of  this 
value  in  all  other  particulars,  and  it  does  not  ap- 
pear to  be  settled  whether  they  were  ever  used  or 
not.  Proofs,  both  perforated  and  unperforated,  ex- 
ist in  this  shade,  and  the  better  opinion  would  seem 
to  be  that  all  of  this  shade  are  proofs.  It  is  claimed, 
however,  that  a  sheet,  or  part  of  a  sheet  .unused, 
was  picked  up  at  the  New  York  Post  Office  by  a 
collector. 

Strips  of  ten  stamps  adhering,  forming  a  vertical 
row  from  the  sheet,  and  showing  a  double  perfora- 
tion along  the  sides  are  also  exhibited. 

Unperforated  specimens  have  been  catalogued. 

The  FIVE  CENTS  was  originally  issued  in  a  pale 
yellow  brown  or  ochre,  but  was  changed  in  Septem- 
ber to  a  darker  brown,  with  a  reddish  cast,  there  is 


also  a  brown  with  a  yellowish  cast,  another  with  a 
blackish  cast  and  a  chestnut  brown.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  the  latter  is  the  true  color  composed  of 
red,  yellow  and  black,  and  that  the  others  result 
from  some  improper  mixing  of  these  colors,  by 
which  one  or  the  other  predominates. 
Variety.  Doubly  perforated  at  the  sides. 

A  "yellowish  brown,"  meaning  the  brown  with 
a  yellowish  cast,  has  been  chronicled  unperforated. 

The  TEN  CENTS  is  light  and  dark  green.  The 
lighter  shade  is  generally  called  a  yellow-green,  but 
the  two  shades  differ  only  in  intensity. 

The  TWELVE  AND  FIFTEEN  CENTS  also  vary  from 
grey  to  deep  black. 

The  TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS  is  violet,  and  pale  or 
dark  lilac. 

The  THIRTY  CENTS  is  of  two  shades  of  orange,  and 
an  orange-brown. 

The  NINETY  CENTS  is  faint  deep  blue  and  indigo 
blue, 

The  number  of  the  several  values  of  these  stamps 
issued,  without  the  grille  is  approximated  as  fol- 
lows :  it  being  not  quite  certain  whether  a  few  with 
the  grille  were  not  issued  prior  to  the  dates  to  which 
the  enumeration  is  made. 

1  cent 91,256,650 

2  cents 254,265,050 

3  cents , 1,847,559,100 

5  cents .* 8,258,460 

10  cents 28,872,780 

12  cents  ...  7,639,525 


—  136  — 

15  cents 2,139,300 

24  cents 10,238,650 

30  cents 3,208,980 

90  cents 337,770 


XXI. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1867-9. 

The  Act  of  the  XXXIX  Congress,  Session  I, 
Chapter  114,  Section  7,  approved  June  12th,  1866. 
entitled  an  Act  to  amend  the  Postal  Laws,  had 
provided  among  other  things. 

"Sec.  7.  And  be  it  further  enacted :  that  whenever  it 
shall  become  expedient  in  the  opinion  of  the  Postmaster 
General  to  substitute  a  different  kind  of  postage  stamps 
for  those  now  in  use,  he  shall  be,  and  is  hereby  author- 
ized to  modifv  the  existing  contracts  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  postage  stamps,  so  as  to  allow  the  contractors  a 
sum  sufficient  to  cover  the  increased  expenses,  if  any,  of 
manufacturing  stamps  so  substituted." 

The  Report  for  the  Postmaster  General  for  the 
year  ending  June  30th,  1867,  states  that  experi- 
ments had  been  made  in  printing  postage  stamps 
on  an  embossed  paper,  which  appeared  to  offer  a 
fair  guarantee  against  fraud  ;  that  the  tissues  of  the 
paper  were  broken  by  the  process,  so  that  the  ink 
of  the  cancelling  stamps  penetrated  the  stamps  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  render  cleaning  impossible ; 
that  the  adhesiveness  of  the  stamps  was  also  in- 


—  138  — 

creased,  to  say  nothing  of  other  advantages,  which 
recommend  the  invention.  Some  of  these  curious 
experiments  will  be  noticed  in  the  chapter  on  Es- 
says. The  plan  adopted  was,  however,  to  emboss 
the  stamp,  after  it  was  printed,  with  a  series  of 
small  square  points,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  rec- 
tangle, much  in  the  same  way  that  checks  are  some- 
times treated  to  prevent  alteration.  This  breaks 
the  tissues  of  the  paper.  The  French  collectors 
call  this  a  grille,  or  grating,  which  it  resembles. 
There  were  several  varieties  used  on  this  issue,  and 
they  were  applied  to  the  stamps  then  current,  with- 
out other  change  in  the  design,  paper,  color  or  gum. 

ISSUE  OF  1867  TO  1869, 

The  first  variety  was  a  grille  covering  the  entire 
stamp,  adopted  May  8th,  1867,  and  applied  only 
to  the 

3  cents,  rose,  perforated  12,  grilled  all  over. 

If  this  is  examined  with  a  glass  on  the  face  of 
the  stamp,  there  appear  to  be  rows  of  slightly  raised 
squares,  separated  by  depressed  straight  lines, with 
a  still  more  raised  cross,  formed  by  diagonal  lines 
running  from  corner  to  corner  of  the  square.  If 
the  back  is  examined,  the  straight  lines  appear 
raised,  the  crosses  depressed.  In  all  specimens 
examined,  the  embossing  is  very  flat. 

The  second  variety  does  not  cover  the  entire 
stamp,  but  shows  a  rectangle,  measuring  13  by  16 
mm.,  composed  of  16  rows  of  20  small  squares 
each.  It  was  adopted  August  8th,  1867,  and  was 


—  139  — 

applied  only  to  the 

3  cents,  rose,  perforated  12,  large  grille. 

Copies  with  this  grille  may  be  found  in  which  one 
side  row  or  the  other  shows  only  half  squares  instead 
of  whole  ones,  also  with  some  of  the  top  or  bot- 
tom rows  missing,  wholly  or  partly. 
Var.  12i  by  16mm.,  15i  by  20  rows,  3c.,perf.  12. 
12K  "  15  "  15  by  18i  "  3c 

The  appearance  of  this  grille,  examined  on  the 
face,  is  just  the  reverse  of  the  preceding,  as  the 
straight  lines  are  raised  and  the  crosses  depressed. 

The  third  variety  was  a  still  smaller  rectangle, 
about  11  by  14  mm.,  composed  of  14  rows  of  17 
small  squares  or  parts  of  squares.  The  date  is 
January  8th,  1868.  Numerous  variations  may  be 
found,  It  was  applied  only  to  the 

1  cent,  blue,   perforated  12,  medium  grille. 

2  "  black  "  12 
,  3  "  rose  "          12 
10  "  green  "           12 
12  "  black  12 
15  "  black  12 

Var,  Hi  by  14imm.,15byl8  rows,  3c,  rose,  perf.  12. 
11  by  14  mm. 


14byl7i 

"    3c      " 

14byl7 

"    3c 

14byl6t 

"     Ic    blue 

14byl6l 

"    3c   rose 

14byl6| 

"  lOc    green 

14byl6| 

44  12c    black 

14byl6i 

44    2c 

14bjl6i 

•4    3c    rose 

-140  — 
11  by  13  mm. 


14byl6i 

"  3c   " 

14byl6 

"  3c   " 

14byl6i 

"  3c   " 

13byl6i 

••  3c   " 

13byl6i 

"  lOc  green 

mm. 


Oddity.  With  2  grilles  touching  on  the  same 
stamp.  3  cents,  rose,  perforated  12. 

Note.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  parts  of  two 
grilles  on  the  same  stamp  at  a  distance  from  each 
other,  part  of  a  grille  being  at  the  top  and  part  at 
the  bottom,  or  part  of  a  grille  on  each  side.  The 
oddity  noted  presents  two  grilles  touching  by  the 
top  and  bottom,  one  a  little  farther  to  the  left  than 
the  other,  making  a  strip  of  squares  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom  of  the  stamp. 

This  medium  grille  if  examined  on  the  face  is 
quite  different  from  the  foregoing  large  grille.  It 
appears  to  be  composed  of  raised  lines  between 
the  squares  and  depressed  crosses  in  them.  A 
glass  transforms  these  lines  into  rows  of  diamonds. 
On  the  reverse  it  appears  as  if  compossed  of  de- 
pressed lines,  between  the  squares,  and  raised 
crosses  in  them. 

Note.  The  other  values  so  far  as  known,  have  not 
been  found  with  this  grille.  Up  to  May,  1868,  on- 
ly the  values  from  1  to  12  cents  had  been  noted  by 
the  stamp  papers  as  having  been  found  with  any 
grille.  The  24  and  30  cents  are  chronicled  with  a 
grille  in  the  November,  1868,  but  the  90  cents  was 
not  so  noticed  until  much  later,  February,  1869, 


—  141  — 

see  American  Journal  of  Philately). 

The  fourth  and  most  common  grille  is  a  square 
of  9  by  14  mm.,  composed  of  12  rows  of  16| 
squares  each.  The  date  of  its  adoption  is  not 
known.  It  was  applied  to  the  whole  series. 

1  cent,  blue,  perforated  12,  small  grille. 

2  "     black          l  12  " 

3  "     rose  "  12  " 
5      "     brown        "           12  " 

10  "  green  "  12  " 

12  "  black  "  12  " 

15  "  black  "  12 

Nov.  1868, 24  "  lilac  12  " 

"  30  'l  orange  "  12  " 

Feb.  1869, 90  "  blue  "  12 

Varieties.  9  by  14mm.,  12  by  16i  rows,  lc.,  perf.  12, 
"  "  "       3c   ' 

12  by  17      "     30c 

OBSERVATIONS. 

The  colors  are  generally  stronger  than  in  those 
without  the  grille.  The  majority  of  the  specimens 
of  these  stamps  appear  to  have  the  surface  of  the 
paper  tinted  slightly  with  the  color  of  the  stamps, 
possibly  from  some  imperfection  in  cleaning  the 
plates.  A  few  values  have  been  noted  on  pure 
white  paper. 

1  cent,  blue,  small  grille,  perforated  12. 

2  "      black          "  "         12 
10     "      green          "                     "         12 


—  142  — 

The  3  cents,  rose,  small  grille,  unperforated,  has 
been  noted,  and 

2  cents,  black,    grille,  variety  4  c  unperforated 

3  "      rose  "    '    4^         at  the 
5      "      brown        "  4  t         sides. 

The  reimpressions  of  these  designs  did  not  have 
the  grille. 

The  five  cents  was  in  use  up  to  September,  1870. 

Some  specimens  examined  seem  to  indicate  that 
all  these  varieties  of  grille  are  occasionally  to  be 
found  reversed,  i.  e.  they  present  the  appearance  on 
the  face  that  is  usually  to  be  seen  on  the  back,  and 
vice  versa. 

Of  these  stamps  with  the  grille,  there  were,  is- 
sued approximately  the  following  numbers : 

1  cent 9,638,600 

2  cents 46,440,000 

3  "     231,773,300 

5     "     1,006,400 

10  "  3,076,070 

12  "  2,087,575 

15  " 868,080 

24  "  167,453 

30  "  214,000 

90  "  26,870 

During  the  currency  of  these  stamps,  a  new  con- 
tract was  entered  into  with  the  same  company.  A 
special  despatch  to  the  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat, 
dated  Oct.  3rd,  1868  states : 

"  Postmaster  General  Kandall  to-day  accepted  the 


—  143  — 

proposal  of  the  X  ational  Bank  Note  Company,  of  New 
York,  for  furnishing  stamps  for  four  years  at  25£ 
cents  per  1000.  This  includes  everything  required  for 
preparing  the  stamps  for  immediate  use,  gumming,  per- 
foration printing  and  preparing  receipts.  The  contrac- 
tors are  also  required  to  furnish  new  designs,  at  least 
four  of  which  must  be  printed  in  combination  colors. 

The  number  of  the  several  values  of  these  stamps 
issued,  with  the  grille  is  approximated  as  follows, 
it  being  not  quite  certain  whether  a  few  without 
the  grille  were  not  in  stock  at  the  dates  from  which 
the  enumeration  is  made. 


XXII. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1869. 

The  New  York  Evening  Post  of  October  6th, 
1868,  also  contains  a  notice  of 

"  THE  NEW  CONTRACT  FOR  POSTAGE  STAMPS. 

In  June  last,  Postmaster  General  Randall,  advertised 
for  proposals  for  furnishing  the  Government  with  post- 
age stamps  for  a  term  of  years.  The  Committee  of  ex- 
perts appointed  for  the  purpose,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
National  Bank  Note  Company,  and  on  Saturday  last,  the 
Postmaster  General  awarded  the  contract  to  that  Com- 
pany for  a  term  of  four  years.  We  have  been  shown 
proofs  of  the  new  stamps,  and  they  reflect  credit  upon 
the  artistic  taste  of  the  Company." 

Some  of  these  proofs  are  then  described. 

"One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  stamps  manufac- 
tured by  this  Company  is  that  the  ink  used  prevents  per- 
sons \vashing,  and  using  the  stamps  a  second  time.  The 
fiber  in  the  centre  of  the  stamp  is  broken  completely, 
and  they  adhere  better,  while  the  ink  of  cancellation 
sinks  into  the  paper.  The  engraving  on  these  stamps 
are  remarkable  copies  of  historical  pictures,  and  bear  the 
microscopical  examination." 


—  145  — 

These  are  probably^  the  only  words  of  approba- 
tion to  be  found  in  the  daily  press  among  the  host 
of  comments  upon  these  stamps,  which  by  the  terms 
of  the  contract  were  to  be  ready  on  the  first  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1869.  Messrs.  Butler  &  Carpenter,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, had  claimed  to  be  entitled  to  the  award  on 
the  ground  that  they  had  submitted  a  better  bid  than 
the  National  Bank  Note  Co.,  which  resulted  in  delay 
and  the  appointment  of  the  commission  above  men- 
tioned. 

However,  in  March,  1869,  the  greater  part  if  not 
all  the  values  were  printed  and  ready  for  issue, 
but  were  distributed  to  the  public  only  as  the  stock 
of  the  old  issue  was  exhausted.  About  the  end  of 
April  they  began  to  appear,  and  even  in  September 
only  the  1,2,3  and  6  cents  were  to  be  obtained  in 
the  larger  post  offices.  Already  the  public  de- 
manded that  they  should  be  replaced,  and  this  was 
dune  in  April,  1870,  As  late  as  March,  1870,  the 
90  cents  of  the  previous  issue  was  on  sale  in  some 
of  the  offices. 

This  unfortunate  issue  was  generally  received 
with  approval  by  the  Philatelic  press.  It  is  certain- 
ly well  engraved,  and  forms  an  interesting  and 
handsome  series  for  the  most  part,  and  is  an  adorn- 
ment to  the  collectors'  album.  But  it  is  hardly  so 
well  suited  to  the  practical  requirements  of  a  post- 
age stamp.  It  was  announced  that  the  series  was 
intended  in  some  sort,  to  portray  the  history  of  the 
Post  Office  in  the  United  States,  beginning  with 
Franklin,  the  Continental  postmaster,  and  the  post 


—  146  — 

rider  of  the  early  days,  followed  by  the  locomotive 
of  a  later  day,  and  the  Ocean  Steamer  carrying  the 
mails  which  had  become  so  important  a  branch  of 
the  postal  service,  the  most  important  scenes  in  the 
early  history  of  the  country,  its  triumphant  arms, 
and  Washington  its  first  and  Lincoln  its  last  Pres- 
ident. But  hardly  had  it  been  issued  before  its 
doom  was  sealed. 

In  August  the  New  York  Tribune  says : 

"The  greater  part  of  the  stamps  sold  at  the  Post 
Office  in  this  city  are  worthless,  and  have  not  sufficient 
gum  to  make  them  stick  to  letters.  One  can  be  amused,  or 
become  indignant,  in  watching  people  who  buy  stamps, 
demanding  a  little  mucilage  from  the  clerk,  in  order  to 
fasten  the  stamp  on  their  envelopes.  It  appears  that 
the  invention  of  embossing  which  is  continued  in  this 
emission,  while  it  spoils  the  stamps,  does  not  increase 
their  adhesive  properties  as  was  pretended/' 

Other  papers  pronounced  the  stamp  too  small. 
The  comic  papers  exhibited  caricatures  in  which 
the  people  were  looking  for  their  stamps  in  their 
pocket  books  with  powerful  microscopes. 

The  Evening  Telegram  says : 

"The  new  United  States  postage  stamps  have  a  very 
un-American  look." 

The  Evening  Mail  says : 

"Our  old  postage  stamps  were  really  neat  and  pleasing 
in  appearance.  They  were  National  and  American,  as 
they  ought  to  have  been.  The  head  of  Washington  wa« 
venerable,  and  our  three  cent  stamps  were  as  perfect  as 
they  well  could  be.  So  also  the  one  cent  stamp  with  the 
head  of  Franklin  was  equally  appropriate.  There  was 


—  147  — 

a  fitness  of  congruity  in  putting  the  head  of  the  old, 
thrifty  economist,  on  the  one  cent  stamp.  Our  youth 
were  reminded  of  the  wise  saws  and  sayings  of  %kPoor 
Richard"  and  it  taught  them  that  if  they  learned  to  save 
the  cents,  the  dollars  were  more  likely  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  But  now  think  of  the  miserable,  confused 
looking  thing,  with  its  wretched  printing,  that  the  Post 
Office  has  given  us  for  the  present  three  cent  stamp. 
It  is  neither  historical,  national,  beautiful,  nor  anything 
but  a  paltry  evidence  of  the  fact,  that  some  engraver  has 
got  paid  or  will  get  paid,  for  a  job  that  ought  never  to  have 
been  done.  Can  our  authorities  not  let  well  enough 
alone? 

Canada,  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  all  have 
railroad  engines  such  as  ours.  What  is  there  in  a  big 
chimney  on  a  railroad  carriage  to  indicate  the  nation- 
ality of  our  postal  system.  Aye,  but  there  are  words, 
"United  States  Postage"  on  the  stamp.  Just  so.  We 
remember  to  have  seen  a  boy's  drawing  on  a  sheet  of 
paper,  the  words  "this  is  a  church"  underneath,  and 
certainly  the  artistic  performance  needed  the  index,  but 
not  more  so  than  the  new  stamp  requires  a  similar  proc- 
lamation to  tell  the  world  what  it  means.  And  then 
again  look  at  the  printing  of  the  word  "-Postage."  Can 
our  engravers  do  nothing  better  than  that?  We  hope 
that  the  contractors  have  been  paid  for  their  work.  If 
so,  then  let  the  post  office  folks  give  us  back  again  our 
old  head  of  Washington,  and  save  us  from  looking  at 
the  contemptible  thing  that  we  are  now  getting  in  its 
stead." 

Another  paper  says : 

"The  present  miserable  experiments  in  blue,  with  a 
meaningless  legend,  are  to  be  recalled  and  something 
new  in  red  is  to  be  substituted.  The  old  heads  of  Wash- 
ington, Jefferson,  Jackson,  Franklin  and  Lincoln  are  to 
be  restored.  It  is  about  time  that  some  definite  form 


—  148  — 

and  design  of  postage  stamp  should  be  adopted,  so  that 
people  may  know  to  a  certainty  what  mucilaged  square 
of  paper  will  carry  a  letter  to  its  designation,  and  what 
not." 

The  New  York  Herald  says : 

"The  old  style  of  three  cent  postage  stamps  had  there- 
on a  face  of  Washington,  out  of  compliment  to  a  good 
man.  It  now  has  a  railway  scene  to  represent  how  Con- 
gressmen make  money.  The  two  cent  stamp  represents 
a  man  on  horseback.  This  represents  Booth's  death 
ride  into  Maryland.  The  one  cent  stamp  should  repre- 
sent a  cow  with  the  favorite  son  of  the  Covington  post- 
master fast  to  her  tail.  This  out  of  compliment  to  Grant. 

An  Eastern  paper  says : 

"The  Government  introduced  the  present  nondescript 
things  called  postage  stamps,  for  the  purpose  of  fright- 
ening counterfeiters." 

And  later  the  Herald  says : 

"Another  attempt  is  to  be  made  to  give  us  decent  post- 
age stamps.  We  suppose  it  will  fail,  as  so  many  have 
hitherto.  Our  postal  authorities  try  too  much.  If  they 
will  only  take  the  Italian  or  French  stamp,  and  put 
Washington's  head  in  place  of  Victor  Emanuel's,  or 
Nap«leon's,  they  cannot  fail;  but  they  will  try  some  im- 
provements and  spoil  all. 

The  post  office  department  announced  the  issue 
in  the  following  circular : 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Finance  Office,  March  1st,  1869. 
Sir: 

At  an  early  day,  in  the  regular  course  of  busi- 
ness, the  Department  will  issue  to  Postmasters  stamps 


._  149  — 

of  new  designs.  [See  description  annexed.]  In  the 
proposed  issue  the  six  cent  stamp  is  substituted  for  the 
five  cents.  You  are  required  to  exhaust  all  of  the  pres- 
ent style  on  hand,  before  supplying  the  public  with  the 
new;  and  in  no  case  will  you  be  allowed  to  make  ex- 
changes for  individuals,  or  to  return  stamps  to  the  De- 
partment to  be  exchanged.  The  stamps  now  in  use  are 
not  to  be  disregarded,  but  must  be  recognized  in  all 
cases  equally  with  the  new  ones. 

Special  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  sheets  of  all 
denominations  below  15  cents  contain  150  stamps.  The 
15  cents  and  all  higher  denominations,  contain  ]  00  stamps 
on  each  sheet.  This  must  be  borne  in  mind  to  prevent 
mistakes  in  counting,  as  in  the  present  issue  each  de- 
nomination has  but  100  stamps  to  the  sheet.  Special  re- 
quests for  the  new  style  of  stamps  will  be  disregarded  un- 
til the  stock  of  the  present  issue  in  possession  of  the  De- 
partment is  exhausted.  Due  notice  will  be  given  of  the 
date  of  issue  of  any  new  design  of  stamped  envelopes, 
therefor  all  inquiries  respecting  them  will  be  disregarded. 

[Signed.]  A.  N.  ZEVEKLY, 

Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

The  description  upon  the  other  side  requires  to 
be  supplemented  for  collectors,  but  is  incorporated 
in  those  following. 

ISSUE  OF  MARCH  19TH.   1869. 


Composed  of  ten  values  each  of  a  different  type. 
ONE  CENT.  Head  of  Franklin,  in  profile,  look- 
ing to  the  left,  on  a  circular  disk  horizontally 
lined,  surrounded  by  a  broad  circle  ornamented 
with  colorless  pearls,  bordered  by  a  band  of  rayed 
lines  between  fine  white  lines,  with  exterior  fine  col- 
ored line,  and  divided  into  three  labels  by  orna- 


—  150  — 

ments  at  the  sides  and  bottom.  "  U.  S.  Postage"  at 
the  top;  large  numeral  "1"  in  a  small  oval  (sic) 
with  a  border  of  colorless  loops  between  the  words 
"  One  cent"  at  the  bottom.  Color.  Roman  ochre. 
Corners  plain  without  color. 

Plate  impression,  circular,  20 by  20  mm.,  in  color, 
on  white  paper,  perforated,  12,  grilled  and  without 

grille. 

1  cent,  Roman  ochre. 

Two  CENTS.  Post  horse  and  rider  facing  to  the 
left,  trees,  fence,  etc.,  in  background,  surrounded 
by  ornamental  scroll  work,  "United  States"  in 
small  colored  capitals  on  the  ground  above,  a  cur- 
tain inscribed  "Portage"  in  colorless  capitals  at  the 
top.  "Two  Cents"  at  the  bottom  on  a  ribbon  with 
large  numeral  "2"  between  the  words,  both  in 
outline  shaded.  "Color,  light  bronze." 

Plate  impression,  20  by  19mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12,  grilled  and  without  grille. 
2  cents,  yellow-brown,  light  and  dark 
chestnut-brown. 

THREE  CENTS.  Locomotive  heading  to  the  right, 
surrounded  by  ornamental  scroll  work,  "United 
States"  in  colored  block  capitals  on  a  curved  band, 
^Postage"  in  colorless  capitals  in  a  tablet  beneath, 
at  top.  "Three  cents"  in  outline  shaded  block 
capitals,  in  two  scrolls  at  the  bottom,  with  numeral 
t;3"  in  a  shield  (sic)  between  the  words.  Color, 
Imperial  ultramarine  blue. 

There  is  no  shield  as  stated  in  the  official  de- 
scription. 


—  151  — 

Plate  impression,  20  by  19  inm.,  in  color, on  white 
paper,  perforated  12,  grilled  and  without  grille. 
3  cents  blue. 

Six  CENTS.  Head  of  Washington,  three  quarters 
face  looking  to  the  right,  on  a  ground  of  vertical  and 
horizontal  lines,  bordered  by  a  solid  broad  colored 
line,  ornamented  by  68  pearls.  Spandrels  check- 
ered and  bordered  by  colorless  lines.  Frame  square, 
composed  of  vertically  lined  squares  in  the  upper 
corners,  with  narrower  horizontally  lined  label  be- 
tween, with  a  broad  colored  border,  ornamented  by 
pearls  and  exterior  colorless  and  colored  line  above. 
The  colored  labels  are  narrower  than  the  upper 
squares  at  the  the  sides,  and  are  bordered  by  col- 
orless pearls  and  an  interior  white  line,  an  exterior 
colorless  and  fine  colored  line.  Horizontally  lined 
label  across  the  entire  bottom,  widened  at  the  ends 
to  correspond  with  the  upper  squares,  with  exterior 
colorless  and  colored  line.  "U.  S."  in  upper  left 
and  right  corners  of  frame  respectively.  The  word 
"Postage"  in  upper  bar  of  frame,  "Six  Cents"  in 
lower,  the  numeral  6  between  the  words,  and 
"United  States"  on  each  side.  Color,  ultramarine. 

Plate  impression, 20  by  20  mm. , square, in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12,  grilled  and  possibly 
without  grille. 

6  cents  blue. 

TEN  CENTS.  Shield  of  the  United  States  on 
which  is  resting  an  eagle  with  outspread  wings, 
looking  to  the  left.  "United  States"  in  small  col- 


—  152  — 

ored  capitals  with  " Postage"  in  large  outline  cap- 
itals, shaded  in  a  second  line  beneath,  in  the  upper 
section  of  the  shield,  numeral  10  in  lower.  The 
words  "Ten  Cents"  in  scroll  at  the  bottom  in  out- 
line shaded  capitals.  The  whole  design  surrounded 
by  thirteen  stars  arranged  in  a  semicircle,  (sic) 
color,  orange.  The  background  is  rayed  behind 
the  eagle  and  the  semicircle  of  stars  are  upon  this 
only,  the  background  behind  the  shield  is  of 
clouds,  there  is  no  frame. 

Plate  impression,  19 by  18  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12  and  grilled,  possibly  also 
without  grille. 

10  cents  orange. 

TWELVE  CENTS.  Ocean  Steam  ship,  headed  to 
left  in  horizontal  oval,  surrounded  by  ornamented 
scroll  work.  In  a  double  tablet  with  arched  top  on 
horizontally  lined  ground,  and  colored  capitals  in  a 
curved  line,"  United  States"  and  '" Postage"  in  out- 
line capitals  on  a  solid  ground.  On  three  scrolls  in 
outline  capitals  and  numerals  shaded,  "Twelve 
Cents"  at  the  bottom,  with  numeral  12  between  the 
words.  Color,  malori  green. 

Plate  impression,  20  by  19  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  slightly  surfaced  green,  perforated    12    and 
grilled,  possibly  also  without  grille. 
12  cents,  green. 


—  153  — 

FIFTEEN*  CENTS.  Microscopic  reproduction  of 
the  large  picture,  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  of 
the  "Landing  of  Columbus, "in  an  oblong  rectangle 
20  by  10  mm.,  with  rounded  upper  corners,  sur- 
rounded at  a  little  distance  by  a  single  colored  line. 
Ornamental  and  scroll  work  at  top  and  bottom  on 
a  ground  ruled  horizontally  inside  and  vertically  out- 
side of  the  scrolls,  the  whole  surrounded  by  a  color- 
less and  fine  colored  line.  On  a  colorless  tablet,  in 
Gothic  capitals,"?/.  S."  ;  in  a  curved  line  of  outline 
capitals  on  the  ground,  ^Postage"  at  top.  Fifteen 
cents  at  bottom,  with  numerals  "15"  underneath  in 
outline  colorless  capitals,  on  the  ground.  Colors  : 
picture,  Prussian  blue,  scroll  and  ornamental  work 
pale  Indian  red. 

Plate  impression,  21M  by  21K  mm.,  in  color   on 
white  paper,  perforated  12,  grilled  and  not  grilled. 
The  paper  is  more  or  less  surfaced  with  blue. 
15  cents  blue  and  brown. 

NOTE.  There  are  two  varieties  of  this  stamp,  de- 
pending on  the  type,  and  an  error,  the  latter  was 
however  never  circulated.  The  line  of  the  frame, 
above  the  picture,  is  curved  up  on  the  left  hand, be- 
ginning under  the  O,  and  on  the  right  hand  begin- 
ning under  the  G,  in  what  is  called  the  O.  G.  curve, 
till  the  two  meet  in  a  point.  In  the  ordinary  vari- 
ety there  are  two  fine  lines  within  the  space  left 
for  the  picture,  which  along  the  whole  top,  includ- 
ing the  curved  corners  and  this  central  double 
curve,  are  united  in  a  heavy  line  and  at  about  la  a 
millimeter  from  the  center  line  on  each  side,  curve 


—  154  — 

down,  as  well  as  up,  to  a  point,  forming  a  diamond. 
On  the  sides  and  bottom  within  this  line,  there  is  a 
shading  of  fine  diagonal  lines.  When  the  picture 
is  exactly  in  position,  which  is  rare,  the  colored 
line  surrounding  it  falls  between  these  fine  lines, 
and  on  the  heavy  curved  line, just  touching  the  lower 
part  of  the  diamond. 

In  the  rarer  variety, the  two  fine  lines, the  broad  top 
line,  and  the  bottom  of  the  diamond  are  all  omitted, 
the  entire  space  is  either  empty  or  shows  one, two  or 
three  horizontal  lines  across  the  top  of  the  space, 
and  three  or  four  across  the  bottom,  with  a  row  of 
short  horizontal  lines  at  the  sides.  When  the  pict- 
ure is  in  proper  place  there  is  an  almost  blank  space 
at  the  top,  and  apparently  a  white  line  surrounding 
the  picture.  When  it  is  misplaced  the  colored 
lines  described  can  be  seen  and  there  appear  to 
have  been  several  varieties,  as  there  were  more  or 
less  of  them. 

Tlie  error  is  not  as  is  sometimes  supposed  an  er- 
ror of  printing,  but  in  the  plate.  Two  plates,  one 
for  each  color,  had  to  be  used.  Originally,  there 
were  150  stamps  as  in  the  smaller  values,  (See 
circular  of  March  1st,  1869  above  cited)  but  upon 
the  plate  for  printing  the  picture,  it  is  said  one  pict- 
ure was  reversed,  and  the  error  once  discovered, 
the  plate  was  cut  down  to  print  onl}-  100  stamps  as 
stated  in  the  circular.  It  is  probable  that  no  copies 
with  the  error  were  ever  circulated. 

TWEXTY-FOUR  CENTS.  Microscopic  reproduct- 
ion of  the  large  picture  at  the  Capitol,  of  the  "Sign- 


—  155  — 

ing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence"  forming 
an  oblong  rectangle  20  by  10mm., with  all  four  cor- 
ners cut  off  diagonally,  surrounded  by  a  fine  color- 
ed line  at  a  little  distance.  Ornamental  scroll  work 
at  top  and  bottom  on  a  lined  ground.  A  line  of 
pearls  on  a  colored  line,  between  a  colorless  and 
colored  line,  forms  the  frame  for  the  picture.  In 
block  capitals  "£7. "and  "£."  surrounded  by  ovals  at 
upper  left  and  right  corners  respectively,  the  word 
"Postage"  between  the  two,  in  a  carved  line  of  out- 
line capitals,  shaded  on  the  background.  ^Tiventy- 
f our  Cents"  in  scrolls  at  bottom, with  numeral  "24" 
beneath  in  outline  letters  shaded.  Colors :  the  pict- 
ure, purple  lake,  scroll  and  ornamental  work,  light 
malori  green.  Just  beneath  the  picture  in  small 
colored  numerals,  "1776," 

Plate  impression,  21%  by  22  mm.,  in  color  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12,  grilled  and  not  grilled. 

24  cents,  purple  and  green. 

NOTE.  There  is  the  same  error  of  this  stamp"re- 
versed  picture"  stated  to  be  from  the  same  cause,  a 
defect  in  the  plate  as  for  the  15  cents,  and, the  same 
remarks  appty. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Eagle  facing  to  left,  with  out- 
spread wings,  resting  on  shield  with  flags  grouped  on 
either  side.  The  words  ^United  States  Postage" 
in  upper  section  of  shield.  The  numeral  "30"  in 
lower.  The  words  "  Thirty Cents"  across  the  bottom, 
with  three  stars  arranged  in  a  semi-circle  at  top  of 
the  design.  Colors:  Eagle  and  Shield,  carmine, 
flags  blue.  Except  for  the  change  of  numerals  and 


—  150  — 

words  of  value,  the  omission  of  the  scroll,  and 
the  substitution  of  the  two  flags  on  each  side  for 
the  clouds,  the  design,  though  not  the  drawing  of 
this  stamp  is  identical  with  the  ten  cents.  "Thir- 
ty cents"  is  however  in  block  letters,  the  T  Y  C  E 
in  outline,  the  rest  shaded. 

Plate  impression,  21)4  by  22mm..  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  slightly  tinted  with  pink,  perforated 
12,  grilled  and  not  grilled. 

30  cents,  carmine  and  blue. 

Error.  There  is  also  an  error  of  this  stamp  in 
which  the  flags  are  reversed.  It  is  also  stated  to 
be  an  error  on  the  plate,  but  may  be  only  an  error 
in  printing. 

NINETY  CENTS.  Portrait  of  Lincoln  in  an  oval, 
looking  to  the  right,  surrounded  by  ornamental 
scrollwork,  numerals  "90"  at  each  of  the  upper 
corners,  set  diagonally  in  outline,  and  shaded  on 
vertically  lined  ground.  On  a  label  with  rayed 
ground,  edged  by  a  colorless  and  colored  line,  in 
outline  capitals  shaded.  ilU.  S.  Postage"  at  top  of 
oval.  '''•Ninety"  and  "cents" on  scrolls  at  the  lower  left 
and  right  corners  of  oval  respectively,  set  diagon- 
ally and  in  colored  capitals.  In  outline  gothic  cap- 
itals "U"  and  "8"  at  the  lower  left  and  right  cor- 
ners of  the  stamp  respectively.  Colors  :  portrait 
black,  surrounding  ornamental  and  scroll  work, 
carmine.  It  may  be  well  to  add  that  the  portrait  is 
three  quarters  face,  on  a  square  hatched  ground, 
and  a  single  colored  line  in  same  color  surrounds 
the  oval  at  a  little  distance.  The  space  left  in  the 


—  157  — 

frame  for  the  picture  is  bordered  by  fine  short 
horizontal  lines,  which  show  when  the  picture  is 
not  properly  placed. 

Plate  impression,  2lMby21^  mm.  square,  in  two 
colors,  on  white  paper,  slightly  surfaced  pink,  per- 
forated 12,  grilled  and  not  grilled. 

90  cents,  black  and  carmine. 

The  grille  in  this  series  is  a  square  9£  by  9j  mm. 
composed  of  1H  rows  of  12  smaller  squares  each, 
apparently  separated  by  raised  lines  crossing  each 
other  at  right  angles,  each  little  square  divided  by 
depressed  diagonals  also,  as  if  produced  by  forcing 
a  series  of  pyramids  set  close  together,  but  not 
touching,  into  the  face  of  the  stamp.  Seen  from 
the  reverse,  the  dividing  lines  are  depressed  and 
the  squares  stand  up  like  pyramids,  with  ragged 
edges  showing  the  broken  fibre  of  the  paper. 

The  numbers  of  the  several  values  of  this  issue  is 
approximated  as  follows : 

1  cent, 24,988,100 

2  cents, 114,058,000 

3  cents 530,346,800 

6  cents, 6,363,700 

10  cents, 5,770,130 

12  cents, 4,088,875 

15  cents, - 2,360,740 

24  cents, 414,325 

30  cents 513,180 

90  cents, 77,650 


XXIII. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  1870. 

In  the  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  for; the 
year  ending  the  30th  of  June,  1870,  under  date  of 
Nov.  loth,  1870,  he  says : 

The  adhesive  postage  stamps  adopted  by  my  prede- 
cessor in  1869,  having  failed  to  give  satisfaction  to  the 
public,  on  account  of  their  small  size,  their  unshapely 
form,  the  inappropriations  of  their  designs,  the  difficul- 
ty of  cancelling  them  effectually,  and  the  inferior  qual- 
ity of  gum  used  in  their  manufacture,  I  found  it  neces- 
sary in  April  last,  to  issue  new  stamps  of  larger  size,  su- 
perior quality  of  gum  and  new  designs.  As  the  contract 
then  in  force,  contained  a  provision  that  the  stamps 
should  be  changed,  and  new  designs  and  plates  furnish- 
ed at  the  pleasure  of  the  Postmaster  General,  without  ad- 
ditional cost  to  the  department,  I  decided  to  substitute 
an  entire  new  series,  one-third  larger  in  size,  and  to  a- 
dopt  for  designs  the  heads,  in  profile, of  distinguished  de- 
ceased Americans.  This  style  was  deemed  the  most  el- 
igible, because  it  not  only  afforded  the  best  opportunity 
for  the  exercise  of  the  highest  grade  of  artistic  skill  in 
composition  and  execution,  but  also  appeared  to  be  the 
most  difficult  to  counterfeit.  The  designs  were  selected 
from  marble  busts  of  acknowledged  excellence,  as  fol- 


—  159  — 

lows:  One  cent,  Franklin,  after  Rubricht;  two  cents, 
Jackson,  after  Powers;  three  cents,  Washington,  after 
Houdou ;  six  cents,  Lincoln,  after  Volk ;  ten  cents,  Jeff- 
erson, after  Powers'  statue;  twelve  cents,  Clay,  after 
Hart;  fifteen  cents,  Webster,  after  Clevenger;  twenty- 
four  cents,  Scott,  after  Coffee;  thirty  cents,  Hamilton, 
after  Cerrachi;  ninty  cents,  Commodore  O.  H.  Perry, 
profile  bust,  after  Walcott?s  statue.  The  stamps  were 
completed  and  issues  of  them  began  in  April  last.  The 
superior  gum  with  which  they  are  coated  is  not  the  least 
of  the  advantages  derived  from  the  change. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  postal  treaty  with  the 
North  German  Confederation,  fixing  the  single  letter 
rate  by  direct  steamers  at  seven  cents,  to  take  effect  the 
1st  of  July  last,  a  stamp  of  that  denomination  was  adopt- 
ed, and  the  profile  bust  of  the  late  Edwin  M.  Stanton 
selected  for  the  design.  This  has  been  completed  in  a 
satisfactory  manner,  but  owing  to  the  temporary  discon- 
tinuance of  the  direct  mail  steamship  service  to  North 
Germany,  it  has  not  yet  been  issued  to  postmasters. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  remark  that  the 
following  stamps  were  adapted  among  other  uses, 
to  the  payment  of  the  rates  under  postal  treaties  as 
follows ; 

6  cents,  England,  Dec,  3d,   1869 ;  Sandwich  Is- 

lands, May  5th,  1870;  British  Colum- 
bia, July  15th,  1870 ;  Germany,  March 
31st,  1871. 

7  cents,  Germany,  April    7th,    1870;    Denmark, 

Dec.  1st  1871. 
10  cent,  Italy,  Feb.  8th,  1870;  Belgium,  March 

1st,  1870;  Switzerland,  April  13,  1870; 

Salvador,  Oct.  5th,  1870. 
12  cents,  British   Honduras,  August  llth,  1869'; 


—  160  — 

New  Zealand,  Oct.  5th,  1870, 
15  cents,  Brazil,  May  9th,  1870. 
The  series  being  ready  for  issue,  was  announced 
to  the  various  Postmasters  in  the  following : 

CIRCULAR  TO  POSTMASTERS. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT, 
Office  of  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

April  9th,  1870. 
New  Series  of  Postage  Stamps. 

At  an  early  date  in  the  regular  course  of  business,  the 
Department  will  issue  to  Postmasters,  postage  stamps 
of  a  new  design.  [See  description  annexed.] 

You  are  required  to  exhaust  all  of  the  present  style  on 
hand  before  supplying  the  public  with  the  new;  and  in 
no  case  will  you  be  allowed  to  make  exchanges  for  in- 
dividuals or  to  return  stamps  to  the  Department  to  be 
exchanged. 

The  stamps  now  in  use  are  not  to  be  disregarded,  but 
must  be  recognized  in  all  cases  equally  with  the  new 
ones.  The  stamps  known  as  the  series  of  1861,  of  which 
a  few  are  supposed  to  be  yet  outstanding,  are  also  to  be 
recognized.  Those  issued  prior  to  the  commencement 
of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  were  long  since  declared  to 
be  valueless. 

Special  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  each  sheet,  of 
all  denominations  of  the  new  series,  contains  but  100 
stamps.  This  must  be  borne  in  mind  to  prevent  mis- 
takes in  counting,  as  in  the  present  issue  some  of  the  de- 
nominations have  150  stamps  to  the  sheet. 

Special  requests  for  the  new  style  of  stamps  will  be 
disregarded  until  the  stock  of  the  present  issue,  in  poses- 
ion  of  the  Department,  is  exhausted.  [-****  re_ 
latiug-to  envelopes  to  be  issued  to  conform  *  *  *  *  ] 

[Signed]  Wm.  H.  Terrell, 

Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 


—  101  — 

[  The  "description  annexed"  is  on  the  other  side 
and  is  merety  a  list  of  values,  the  bust  from  which 
the  portrait  was  copied,  the  color,  etc.,  exactly  fol- 
lowing that  in  the  extract  from  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
erals report  above.]  The  exact  date  of  issue  is 
fixed  by  the  Postmaster  General's  report,  as  May, 

1870. 

ISSUE  OF  MAY,  1870. 

Composed  of  ten  values  as  follows ; 

ONE  CENT.  Bust  of  Benj.  Franklin,  in  profile  to 
the  left,  after  Rubricht,  on  an  oval  disk,  lined  hori- 
zontally and  obliquely,  bordered  by  a  broad  color- 
less line  and  exterior  colored  fine  line.  Outside  of 
this  a  series  of  colorless  curved  lines,  bordered  by 
fine  colored  lines,  and  foliated  at  the  corners  on  a 
ground  of  parallel  vertical  colored  lines,  completes 
the  rectangle.  There  is  no  enclosing  colored  line 
at  top,  or  bottom.  Short  horizontal  colored  lines 
form  the  shadows  of  the  oval  and  ornaments.  The 
upper  corners  are  formed  by  a  line  curved  round 
from  the  oval  and  terminating  in  a  large  ball, 
a  second  line  curving  round  from  this  and  con- 
tinued along  the  top,  ending  in  two  foliations 
with  a  small  leaf-shaped  dash  beyond.  There 
is  a  large  ball  at  the  intersection  of  these  lines  in 
the  corner  of  the  stamp.  A  slightly  curved  line 
continues  down  from  the  corner,  forming  the  sides. 
The  lower  corner  being  formed  by  a  curved  line 
starting  in  a  dot,  curving  upward  and  round,  and 
terminating  inside  the  side  lines  in  a  large  foliation 
with  three  bails  above  it.  The  bottom  is  formed  of 


—  162  — 

a  waved  line.  These  are  all  distinct  and  plain  color- 
less lines  between  fine  colored  lines,  and  about 
the  width  of  the  line  surrounding  the  oval. 

The  ornaments  in  the  corners  have  shadows  be- 
neath, and  on  the  inner  edges,  and  the  side  lines 
have  shadows  on  the  outer  edges,  formed  of  short 
horizontal  lines.  The  oval  has  heavy  shadows  sim- 
ilarly formed.  The  vertical  lines  of  the  background 
are  fine,  and  of  even  width  throughout.  Above  the 
oval,  a  thin  colorless  line,  bordered  by  a  fine  colored 
line,  within  and  without,  parallel  with  the  oval,  but 
curved  round  at  the  ends  to  meet  it,  forms  a  label 
inscribed  in  outline  capitals,  ilU.  S.  Postage," 
shaded  without  on  a  rectangularly  hatched  ground. 
Below  the  oval  a  large  outline  pearled  numeral  "1" 
shaded  without,  divides  the  lower  border  line,  and 
a  similar  line  parallel  to  the  border  line,  but  ter- 
minated at  each  end  by  a  ball,  forms  a  label  in- 
scribed in  outline  capitals  "One  Cent"  shaded  out- 
side on  a  rectangularly  hatched  ground.  Above  this 
label  are  three  small  white  pearls  on  each  side  of  the 
numeral. 

Plate  impression,  19^  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,  imperial  ultramarine. 

Two  CENTS.  Bust  of  Andrew  Jackson,  in  profile 
to  the  left,  after  Powers,  on  an  oval  disk  lined  hor- 
izontally and  doubly  obliquely,  bordered  by  abroad 
white  line  and  fine  exterior  colored  line,  the  whole 
super-imposed  on  a  shield,  with  ground  of  vertical 
colored  lines,  and  bordered  by  a  very  fine  colored 


—  163  — 

exterior  line.  The  shield  is  curved  in  at  the  top, 
corners  diagonal,  sides  curved  in  and  then  out,  bot- 
tom rounded  and  rests  on  a  background  of  horizon- 
tal colored  lines.  There  are  no  exterior  lines  on 
the  sicjes.  Below  the  oval,  a  large  outline  numeral 
4 '2"  divides  a  colorless  ribbon  bordered  by  fine 
colored  lines,  and  inscribed  "Two  Cents"  in  outline 
colored  capitals  shaded  outside,  on  a  background 
of  short  vertical  colored  lines.  Above  the  oval,  a 
band  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  edged  by  fine  color- 
ed lines,  extends  nearly  to  the  outer  edge  of  the 
stamp,  and  is  inscribed,  11U.  S.  Postage"  in  outline 
colorless  capitals,  shaded  outside  on  a  rectangularly 
hatched  ground.  The  shadows  of  the  shield  are 
made  by  short  vertical  lines,  those  of  the  oval  by 
short  horizontal  lines.  The  shield  is  ornamented 
by  fine  laurel  leaves  on  each  side,  just  above  the 
lower  label. 

Plate  impression,  19>2by  25mm. ,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  velvet  brown. 

THREE  CENTS.  Bust  of  Geo.  Washington,  after 
Houdon,  in  profile  to  left,  on  oval  disk  with  horizon- 
tally lined  ground,  and  occasional  diagonal  lat- 
ticed hatchings,  bordered  by  a  broad  colorless  line 
with  exterior  fine  colored  line,  resting  on  a  shield 
with  vertically  lined  ground,  on  a  background  of  hor- 
izontal lines,  with  a  border  line  on  the  right  side  but 
none  on  the  left.  Above  the  oval,  a  band  bord- 
ered by  a  colorless  line,  with  a  ball  on  each  end 
and  three  little  foliations  above  on  each  side,  all 


—  164  — 

edged  by  a  fine  colored  line  inscribed  11U.  S.  Post- 
age," in  outline  capitals,  shaded  outside  on  a  hori- 
zontally lined  ground.  Below  the  oval  a  large  num- 
eral ;'3,"  shaded  outside,  divides  a  ribbon  bord- 
ered by  a  colored  line,  and  inscribed  in  similar 
capitals,  "Three  Cents"  on  a  ground  of  short  verti- 
cal lines.  The  shadows  of  the  oval  are  made  by 
short  colored  horizontal  lines,  and  those  of  the  shield 
by  vertical  lines, 

Plate  impression,  19Kby25  mm. ,  in  color,  on  white 

paper,  perforated  12. 

3  cents,  malori  green. 

Six  CENTS.  Bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  profile 
to  the  left,  after  Volk,  on  an  oval  disk  lined  hori- 
zontally and  doubly  lined  obliquely,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line.  On  a  depressed  panel,  lined  hor- 
izontally, the  sides  projected,  darker  than  the  frame 
of  fine  vertical  lines  which  surrounds  it,  completes  the 
rectangle.  There  is  no  terminal  line  at  the  sides. 
Above  the  oval  a  yoke-shaped  label,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line,  edged  by  fine  colored  lines,  inscribed 
tlU.  S.  Postage"  in  outline  colorless  capitals, 
shaded  outside  on  a  ground  of  horizontal  lines. 
Below  the  oval  is  a  ribbon  bordered  by  fine  colored 
lines,  inscribed  in  the  same  letters, "Six  Cents"  di- 
vided by  a  large  outline  numeral  "6,"  on  a  ground 
of  short  colored  vertical  lines.  A  distinct  line  borders 
the  depressed  panel  all  the  way  around, being  heaviest 
on  the  left  side.  The  shadows  of  the  oval  and  de- 
pressed panel  are  made  by  vertical  colored  lines,  and 
those  of  the  upper  and  lower  labels  are  made  by  hori- 


—  105  — 

zontal  colored  lines. 

Plate  impression,  19iby25  mm.,  in  color, on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

6  cents,  cochineal  red. 

TEN  CENTS.  Bust  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  profile 
to  left,  after  Powers,  on  an  oval  disk,  lined  horizon- 
tally, and  obliquely  from  right  to  left,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line  with  exterior  colored  line,  on  a  shield 
bordered  by  a  fine  colored  line,  vertically  lined,  on  a 
rectangular  background,  which  is  lined  horizontally. 
Above  the  oval  a  label  formed  by  a  colorless  line  ed- 
ged by  a  colored  exterior  line, curved  round  from  the 
oval  line  at  the  ends,  and  then  parallel  with  it,  hav- 
ing a  small  ball  ornament  at  each  end,  is  inscribed 
"U.  S.  Postage"  in  outline  capitals,  shaded  outside, 
on  a  ground  of  vertical  lines,  except  at  the  ends, 
where  the  lines  are  horizontal.  Below  the  oval,  on 
a  ribbon  bordered  by  colored  lines,  in  the  same  let- 
ters "Ten  Cents,"  on  a  ground  of  short  vertical 
lines,  the  words  separated  by  large  outline  numerals 
"10."  Shadows  of  the  oval  in  short  horizontal  lines 
crossed  by  lines  parallel  to  the  oval.  Shadows  of 
the  lower  ribbon  in  vertical  lines. 

Plate  impression,  19-2by25  mm.,in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

10  cents,  chocolate. 

TWELVE  CENTS.  Bust  of  Henry  Clay,  after  Hart, 
in  profile  to  the  left,  on  an  oval  disk,  closely  lined 
horizontally,  and  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  be- 
tween two  fine  colored  lines,  surrounded  by  labels 


—  166  — 

bordered  without  by  a  second  colorless  line,  between 
fine  colored  lines,  but  curved  inwards,  crossed  and 
the  sides  united  in  a  vertical  line  at  the  sides  of  the 
stamp,  the  whole  arranged  in  a  double  tablet  formed 
by  vertical  lines,  terminated  by  an  outside  colored 
line  at  t;p  and  bottom.  The  outer  edges  represent- 
ing a  chamfer  are  horizontally  lined.  A  little  dis- 
tance from  the  edge,  a  series  of  diagonal  lines  be- 
tween two  parallel  lines,  represent  a  beveled  edge, 
making  the  parts  within  appear  higher.  The  up- 
per label  is  inscribed  tlU.  S.  Postage,"  in  outline 
capitals,  doubly  shaded  outside,  on  a  ground  of 
horizontal  lines.  The  lower  label  is  inscribed, 
"Tivelve  Cents,"  in  outline  block  capitals,  doubly 
shaded  on  a  ground  of  horizontal  lines.  Large 
outline  numerals  "12,"  doubly  shaded,  divide  the 
lower  band  and  separate  the  words. 

Plate  impression,  19^  by  25  mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

12  cents,  neutral  tint. 

FIFTEEN  CENTS.  Bust  of  Daniel  Webster,  in  pro- 
file to  the  left,  after  Clevenger,  on  an  oval  disk, 
very  closely  lined  horizontally  and  obliquely,  bord- 
ered by  a  colorless  line,  on  a  vertically  lined  back- 
ground, with  no  terminal  line  at  the  top  or  bottom. 
There  is  a  triangular  depression  represented  in  each 
of  the  four  corners  by  horizontally  lined  ground 
and  shade  lines,  and  mitered  at  the  angles.  Above 
the  oval  and  following  its  outline,  is  a  label  indicated 
by  a  colorless  line  between  fine  colored  lines, 


-1G7  — 

square  at  the  ends  with  a  ball  beyond,  inscribed  on 
a  horizontally  lined  ground  in  colorless  capitals, 
outlined  by  colored  lines  and  shaded  without,  "£7. 
S.  Postage."  Below  the  oval  is  a  similarly  formed 
label  with  pointed  ends,  inscribed  in  the  same  letters 
on  horizontally  lined  ground, ^Fifteen  Cents  " divid- 
ed by  large  pearled  numerals  "15." 

Plate  impression,  19/s  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

15  cents,  orange. 

TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS.  Bust  of  Winfield  Scott,  in 
profile  to  the  left,  after  Coffee,  on  an  oval  disk 
closely  lined  horizontally,  and  bordered  by  a  color- 
less line  with  exterior  colored  line,  on  a  rectangular 
background  of  horizontal  lines.  Above  and  follow- 
ing the  line  of  the  oval  are  thirteen  five  pointed  stars, 
two  at  each  end  plain,  and  one  letter  of  the  inscrip- 
tion "U.  S.  Postage"  in  cplored  block  capitals  in 
each  of  the  others.  Above  these  and  parallel  to  the 
oval  is  a  colorless  line  between  colored  lines,  divid- 
ed and  curving  into  two  balls  below,  but  curving  into 
a  single  ball  above  and  shaded  by  another  colored 
line.  Above  these  in  each  corner  on  a  solid 
ground  of  color,  bordered  by  a  similar  arrange- 
ment of  lines,  etc.,  in  colorless  block  numerals 
"24."  Below  the  oval  is  a  label  inscribed 
^Twenty  Four"  with  another  beneath  it  inscribed 
" Cents,"  both  indicated  by  a  colorless  line  between 
colored  lines, with  a  horizontally  lined  background. 
The  letters  are  colorless  block  capitals.  In  the 


—  1GS  — 

lower   left   corner  are  flags  and  cannon,  and  in  the 
right  three  muskets  stacked. 

Plate  impression,  19/£  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

24  cents,  pure  purple. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Bust  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  in 
profile  to  the  left,  after  Cerrachi,  on  an  oval  disk 
horizontally  and  obliquely  lined,  bordered  by  a  col- 
orless line  with  outer  colored  line, on  a  shield  shaped 
panel  vertically  lined,  the  edges  beveled  and  ob- 
liquely lined,  resting  on  a  background  of  horizon- 
tal lines.  The  upper  corners  of  the  panel  project 
beyond  the  rest  at  top  and  sides,  the  sides  project 
beyond  the  curved  bottom,  the  shadows  of  the  oval 
on  the  shield  are  indicated  by  short  horizontal 
lines  ;  those  of  the  shield  by  vertical  lines.  Across 
the  curved  top  of  the  shield  is  a  colorless  line  bord- 
ered by  outside  colored  .lines.  Across  the  top  of 
the  shield  in  a  double  curve  of  outline  capitals, 
shaded  outside,  liU.  S.  Postage.''  Below  the  oval, 
a  small  shield,  outlined  by  a  colorless  line  between 
colored  lines,  bears  the  outlined  numerals  "  30," 
shaded  outside  on  ground  of  horizontal  lines,  divid- 
ing a  ribbon  outlined  by  colored  lines,  inscribed 
"Thirty  Cents"  in  colored  spurred  capitals,  on  a 
ground  of  vertical  lines. 

Plate  impression,  19 Yz  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

30  cents,  black. 


—  16!)  — 

NINETY  CENTS.  Bust  of  Com.  O.  H.  Perry,  in 
profile  to  left,  after  Wolcutt,  on  an  oval  disk  bord- 
ered by  a  colorless  line  with  exterior  colored  line. 
The  upper  half  of  this  line  is  covered  by  a  cable, 
rove  at  each  end  to  a  ring,  that  supports  the  lower 
label.  Above  the  oval  a  label  with  Hatched  ground, 
bordered  by  a  colorless  line,  with  exterior  colored 
line  following  the  oval,  the  ends  curved  outward 
and  inward  in  a  sort  of  foliation,  is  inscribed 
11U.S.  Postage"  in  outline  capitals,  shaded  outside. 
A  five  pointed  star  in  each  corner.  Below  the  oval, 
the  lower  label,  square  at  the  ends,  with  hatched 
ground,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  and  outer  col- 
ored line,  is  inscribed  "Ninety  Cents,"  in  outline 
block  capitals,  shaded  outside.  There  is  a  heavy 
shadow  beneath  the  label,  an  anchor  in  each  lower 
corner.  The  whole  is  on  a  vertically  lined  panel 
chamfered  at  the  top,  bottom  and  sides. 

Plate  impression,  19/i>by25  mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12, 

90  cents,  carmine. 

ISSUE  OF  JULY  1870. 

SEVEN  CENTS.  Bust  of  Secretary  Edwin  M.  Stan- 
ton,  in  profile  to  left,  on  an  oval  disk,  closety  lined 
horizontally,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line.  Above  and 
below,  a  label  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  following 
the  outline  of  the  oval,  but  curved  round  and  ter- 
minated inside  by  a  ball  at  each  end.  The  whole 
on  a  panel,  vertically  lined,  with  rounded  corners, 
and  large  ball  on  a  rectangular  background  of  hor- 


-170  — 

izontal  lines.  The  labels  are  inscribed  in  outline 
capitals,  shaded  outside  on  a  hatched  ground,  the 
upper,  ilU.  S.  Postage,"  the  lower,4 '/Seven  Cents," 
ivided  by  a  large  outline  numeral  t;7,"  doubly 
shaded  outside. 

Plate  impression,  19i  b}^  25  mm.,  in  colorr  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

7  cents,  vermillion. 

All  these  values  were  first  issued  with  a  grille,  of 
which  there  are  several  sizes,  but  on  many,  if  not 
most,  even  of  unused  specimens  it  is  so   indistinct 
that   it   is   impossible   to   distinguish  the  outlines, 
measure  the  size,  or  count  the  squares.     Some  very 
perfect  unused  specimens  have  been  examined  how- 
ever,and  on  the  face  it  appears  to  be  composed  of  hor- 
izontal rows  of  depressed  diamonds,  divided  by  al- 
ernate  rows  of  smaller  raised  diamonds,  with  deep- 
epressed   lines   along  the  sides  of  the  latter.     On 
he  reverse,  the  appearance  is  of  rows  of  squares 
ivided  by  depressed  lines,  with  little  raised  crosses 
in  each  square.     By  these    specimens   it   has    also 
been  determined,  that  there  were  at  least  two  dis- 
tinct sizes  of  grille. 

The  first  measures  10?  by  12i  mm.,  composed  of 
13  by  15i  rows  of  squares.  Perfect  specimens  of 
the  1,  2,  3,  7  and  10  cent  so  grilled,  have  been 
found,  and  satisfactory  specimens  of  the  6,  12,  15, 
24,  30  and  90' cents. 

The  other  variety  measures  8i  by  lOi  mm.,  and 
is  composed  of  10  by  13  rows  of  squares.  Perfect 
specimens  of  the  1,  2,  3  and  7  cents  so  grilled 


—  171  — 

have  been  found,  but  no  satisfactory  specimens  of 
any  other  value. 

Specimens  with  only  a  few  distinct  squares,  are 
comparatively  common. 

The  difficulty  of  arriving   at   accurate   measure- 
ment, is  increased  when  the  specimens  examined 
have  been  used,  but  apparently  the  larger  of  the 
above  grilles  was  gradually  cut  down  row  by  row  to 
the  smaller,    as   specimens  of  the  1,  2  and  3  cents, 
the  most  used  values,  are  found  undoubtedly  grilled. 
10i  by  12i  mm.,  or  13  by  17  rows. 
10    "    12       "      "   13  "   15     " 
9    "    111      "      "  12  "    15     " 
9    "    11       "      "  11  "    14     " 
81  "    10       "      "  11  "    13     " 

These  all  now  bear  a  deep  yellow  or  brown  gum. 
The  colors  are  very  uniform. 

As  stated  by  the  passage  quoted  above,  there  are 
100  stamps,  or  ten  rows  of  ten  stamps  in  the  so 
called  sheet,  or  properly  half  sheet, there  being  200 
on  the  plate.  The  imprint  was  either  "Engraved 
and  printed  by  the."  in  one  line,  "National  Bank 
Note  Co,,  New  York,"  in  a  second  line  in  colorless 
capitals,  on  a  solid  ground,  with  pearled  edges  and 
outer  fine  colored  line,  or  the  second  line  above 
without  pearls  on  colored  ground,  bordered  by  a 
double  colored  line.  The  author  cannot  state 
whether  all  the  values  bore  both  imprints,  having 
only  seen  the  1,  2  and  3  cents  with  the  first,  and 
the  30  and  90  with  the  second,  the  latter  without 
the  grille.  These  imprints  are  placed  2  mm.  from 


—  1 72  — 

the  stamps,  above  and  below  the  5th  and  6th  rows 
on  each  half  sheet,  the  plate  number  being  between 
the  8th  and  9th  rows.  The  line  on  which  the  sheets 
are  divided  is  indicated  by  three  lines  forming  a 
sort  of  arrow  head,  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the 
sheet.  The  center  rows  of  stamps  are  2i  mm. 
apart,  and  there  are  no  perforations  between  them. 
The  vertical  rows  of  perforation  are  22i  mm.  apart 
horizontally.  The  horizontal  rows  27|  mm.  apart 
vertically,  but  the  upper  and  lower  rows  are  some- 
times 28 i  and  sometimes  29i  mm.  apart.  If  a 
sheet  is  selected,  where  the  vertical  rows  are  so  far 
from  the  center  line  as  to  cut  into  the  stamps,  and 
the  horizontal  rows  too  high  or  too  low,  and  a  stamp 
from  the  top  or  bottom  of  the  row  next  to  the  cen- 
ter cut  line  is  selected,  and  the  perforations  care- 
fully cut  off  ,specimens  can  be  made  that  have  a  much 
larger  margin  than  the  ordinary  perforated  stamps, 
and  might  easily  pass  as  unperf orated,  This  may 
not  account  for  all  the  unperf orated  specimens, 
some  of  wxhich  may  be  the  result  of  accident,  but 
all  the  values  of  this  series  and  the  following  may 
be  so  made  unperf  orated,  and  have  been  so  cata- 
logued. 

The  number  of  these  stamps  issued  with  grille, 
is  estimated  as  follows : 

1  cent, 95,127,100. 

2  cents, 208,375,550. 

3  962,467,790. 

6  "      21,600,900, 

7  "  2.070.800. 


—  173- 

10  cents 8,509,280. 

12     "      2,857,975. 

15     "      4,299,220. 

24     "      637,450. 

30     "      711,430. 

90     "      165,180. 

ISSUE  WITHOUT  GRILLE  (1873?) 

The  use  of  the  grille  was  finally  abandoned  alto- 
gether. The  first  notice  of  this  change  appeared 
in  the  stamp  papers  of  February,  1873.  They  were 
made  by  the  same  company,  and  are  in  all  respects 
the  same,  except  the  embossing. 

1  cent,  imperial  ultramarine,  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  velvet  brown 

3  "      milorigreen 

6  "  cochineal 

7  "  vermilion 

10  "  chocolate : 

12  "  purple  

15  "  orange 

24  "  pure  purple 

30  "  black  

90  "  carmine " 

The  colors  do  not  vary  materially  from  those  of 
the  grilled  series,  but  ihere  are  two  quite  distinct 
shades  of  the  twelve  cents,  a  blackish  purple  and 
a  brownish  tint. 


—  174  — 

ISSUE  OF  1873. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  general 
law,  before  the  expiration  of  the  contract  with  the 
National  Bank  Note  Company,  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral advertised  in  the  daily  papers,  in  December, 
1872,  that  he  would  receive  bids  for  furnishing  the 
Department  with  postage  stamps  from  the  1st  of 
May,  1873,  to  the  1st  of  May,  1877.  This  contract,  as 
well  as  the  subsequent  one  which  terminated  the  1st 
of  July,  188  J,  was  awarded  to  the  Continental  Bank 
Note  Company,  of  New  York.  The  dies  and  plates, 
by  the  terms  of  the  contract  with  the  National 
Bank  Note  Company,  were  the  property  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  were  turned  over  to  the  new  contract- 
ors, who  continued  to  print  the  stamps  from  the 
same  plates,  until  they  were  worn  out,  and  theoret- 
ically in  the  same  colors.  As  new  plates  were  re- 
quired from  time  to  time,  they  were  made  from  the 
original  dies,  but  bore  the  imprint  of  the  new  con- 
tractor, which  resembles  the  first  one  described  as 
used  by  the  National  Company,  but  reads ''Printed 
by  the"  in  the  first  line,  "Continental  Bank  Note 
Co.,  New  York,"  in  the  second  line.  This  imprint 
probably,  was  not  put  upon  one  of  the  values  above 
15  cents.  In  fact  the  30  and  90  cents  sent  out 
just  before,  and  for  some  years  after  the  expiration 
of  the  second  contract  awarded  to  this  Company, 
bore  the  second  named  imprint  of  the  National 
Bank  Note  Company. 

Specimens  are  found  which  show  the  heavier  bord- 
er lines   and  shadows  of  the  different  parts  of  the 


—  175  — 

design,  the  fine  lines  of  the  background,  of  the  tab- 
lets, and  sometimes  of  the  shields,  being  invisible  to 
the  eye,  though  more  or  less  of  them  can  generally 
be  traced  with  a  glass.  These  collectors  have  des- 
ignated as  "plain  frames,"  as  they  appear  to  be 
without  color.  They  are,  really,  defective  impres- 
sions either  from  worn  plates, when  the  plates  made 
by  the  National  Bank  Note  Company,  were  giving 
out  in  1873,  or  from  the  poor  results  of  the  process 
of  printing  adopted,  as  is  claimed  by  the  Postmaster 
General. 

But  similar  varieties  have  certainly  appeared, 
and  for  like  causes,  at  other  times.  Collectors  of 
curiosities  will  find : 

1  cent  plain  frame,  perforated  12. 

2  cents    " 

O>>  >  5  5  >  »  J  5 

6      "  "          .      " 

-|  f\  5  J  J  »  >  J  »  >> 

The  stamps  from  the  plates  with  the  imprint  of 
this  Company,  now  bear  on  the  back  a  white  gum, 
and  not  e  brownish,  used  by  the  National  Bank 
Note  Company,  which  will  help  to  distinguish  im- 
pressions made  by  them  from  the  old  plates.  The 
colors,  however,  are  not  identical,  and  will  further 
serve  to  distinguish  them.  There  may  be  excep- 
tions, but  ordinarily  the  ONE  CENT  is  a  pure  indigo, 
without  the  red  or  ultramarine  cast,  of  those  print- 
ed previously,  whether  lighter  or  deeper  impres- 
sions are  chosen. 

The  Two  CENTS  has  also   lost   its   reddish   tone, 


—  176^- 

and    is   a  dull  brown,  with  a  tendency  to  blackish- 
brown,  whether  lighter  or  deeper  in  shade. 

The  THREE  CENTS  is  of  a  duller  and  generally  a 
pale  shade. 

The  Six  CENTS  is  much  lighter  and  is  a  washy 
pink. 

The  SEVEN  CENTS  is  a  more  j^ellowish  vermilion. 

The  TEN  CENTS  approaches  very  nearly  to  the 
original  shade  of  the  two  cents,  but  is  a  little  more 
of  a  blackish  brown, very  unlike  the  delicate  original 
shade.  The  oval  and  face  lines  are  dark  and 
heavy. 

The  FIFTEEN  CENTS  is  a  much  paler  orange. 
The  higher  values, TWENTY-FOUR, THIRTY  and  NINE- 
TY CENTS, have  a  thinner  tone  than  the  deep  rich  col- 
or of  the  former  Company's  work. 

In  the  meantime,  the  following  changes  were 
announced  in  a  circular  to  postmasters. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT, 

Office  of  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General, 
Division  of  Stamps,  Stamped  Envelopes  &  Postal  Cards. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  June  21st,  1  875. 
The  Department  is  prepared  to  commence  the  issue 
of  postage  stamps  of  the  denomination  of  five  (5)  cents 
to  meet  the  new  letter  rate  of  postage,  under  the  treaty 
of  Berne,  to  the  following  countries,  viz : 

'[Here  follow  the  names  of  all  countries  that  had 
then  joined  the  Postal  Union,  to  which  five  cents 
was  the  rate.] 

The  new  five  cent  stamp  is  designed  from  a  bust  of 
Gen  Zackary  Taylor  in  full  face,  and  printed  in  dark 


blue  color.  The  chaiiges  in  foreign  postages  will  render 
unnecessary  the  further  use  of  the  7,  12  and  24  cent 
stamps  and  stamped  envelopes,  and  they  will  according- 
ly be  discontinued. 

In  order  to  avoid  the  liability  to  mistake  caused  by 
the  near  similarity  in  color  between  the  two  cent  and 
ten  cent  stamp,  the  former  will  in  future  be  printed  in 
vermilion,  the  color  of  the  discontinued  seven  cent 
stamp. 

[Here  follows  directions  to  use  up  the  stock  of 
the  discontinued  stamps  and  envelopes,  whenever 
they  can  be  utilized.] 

[Signed.]  E.  M.  BARBER, 

Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

ISSUE  OF  JULY  IST,  1875, 

Two  CENTS.  Same  design,  and  from  the  same  die 
and  plate  as  the  previous  brown  impression,  the  color 
only  changed. 

Plate  impression,  19>£  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  vermilion, 

ISSUE  OF  OCTOBER  OTH,  1875. 

One  of  the  New  York  daily  papers  in  April,  1882, 
speaking  of  the  new  five  cent  stamp  (Garfield) 
about  to  be  issued,  says :  The  history  of  the  cur- 
rent five  cent  stamp  with  Taylor's  portrait  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

The  rates  for  international  postage  had  been  decided 
upon  as  5  cents,  the  United  States  series  of  postage 
stamps  had  not  such  a  value.  Mr.  Jewell,  the  Postmast- 
er General  at  the  time,  suggested  to  President  Grant 


—  178  — 

the  propriety  of  having  his  portrait  on  the  new  stamp 
of  the  required  value.  Gen.  Grant  did  not  agree  with 
his  Cabinet  officer.  Finally,  he  suggested  that  if  Mr. 
Jewell  would  insist  upon  consulting  his  wishes,  he  (Gen. 
Grant)  would  be  well  pleased  if  the  portrait  of  old  Zack 
Taylor,  with  whom  he  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  could 
be  used  on  the  new  stamp.  Instead  of  instructing  the 
then  contractors  to  prepare  a  portrait  of  Gen.  Taylor, 
which  would  be  in  harmony  with  the  other  stamps  of 
the  series,  Mr,  Jewell  found  in  the  Bureau  of  Engraving 
and  Printing,  a  portrait  of  Taylor,  which  had  been  used 
on  the  old  tobacco  strip  series.  This  portrait  was  trans- 
mogrified into  the  five  cent  stamp.  It  was  badly  en- 
graved and  of  wretched  color. 

ISSUE  OF  OCTOBER  5th,  1875. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Bust  of  General  Zachary  Taylor, 
full  face,  on  an  oval  disk  lined  horizontally  and 
obliquely,  the  horizontal  lines  growing  closer  and 
closer  towards  the  top,  surrounded  by  a  colorless 
line  with  outer  colored  line,  and  resting  on  a  shield, 
vertically  lined,  and  bordered  by  an  exterior  colored 
ine,  all  on  a  background  of  colored  horizontal 
lines,  the  shadows  of  short  horizontal  lines.  Above 
the  oval  is  a  label,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line  be- 
tween fine  colored  lines,  and  curved  round  and  di- 
vided at  the  ends,  the  outer  part  terminating  in  a 
ball,  horizontally  lined  and  inscribed  11U.  S.  Post- 
age," in  outline  capitals  shaded  without.  Below  the 
oval  is  a  ribbon,  bordered  by  a  colored  line,  and 
inscribed  '•'•Five  Cents,"  the  words  divided  by  a 
large  numeral  5,  all  in  outline  capitals,  shaded  with- 
out on  a  ground  of  short  vertical  lines. 


—  179  — 

Plate  impression,  19i  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

5  cents,  dark  blue. 

The  stamp  is  identical  with  the  two  and  ten  cent 
values,  with  the  value  changed,  and  the  portrait  of 
Taylor  from  the  six  ounce  tobacco  stamp  of  the  "se- 
ries of  1871,"  placed  in  the  medallion. 

Both  the  two  cent,  vermilion  and  the  five  cent 
blue,  bear  the  imprint  "Printed  by  The  Conibin- 
ental  Bank  Note  Company,"  which  also  prepared 
the  tobacco  stamp  in  question. 

These  two  stamps  have  been  chronicled  as  having 
been  issued  grilled.  The  error  crept  into  the 
French  edition  of  this  work  likewise,  but  they  were 
at  least  never  so  issued  for  circulation. 

All  the  values  as  issued  by  this  company  have 
likewise  been  chronicled  as  unperforated.  If  they 
are  not  accounted  for  as  indicated  under  the  re- 
marks made  on  page  172,  they  are  the  result  of 
accident. 

In  many  cases  indistinct  dots  can  be  seen  where 
the  perforating  machine  failed  to  do  its  work  Such 
specimens  are  curious  but  do  not  require  more  than 
mention. 

Before  the  second  contract  with  the  Continental 
Bank  Note  Co.  expired,  it  was  consolidated  with 
the  American  Bank  Note  Co.  under,  the  name  of 
the  American  Bank  Note  Company,  and  new  plates 
began  to  appear  with  the  imprint  of  this  company, 
in  large  colored  block  capitals,  shaded  by  a  colored 
line  parallel  to  the  letters  and  an  outside  row  of 


—  180  — 

lighter  horizontal  lines. 

The  one,  two,  three,  five  and  ten  are  found  with 
this  imprint,  without  material  change.  The  seven, 
twelve  and  twenty-four  cent  having  long  been  re- 
tired are  not  to  be  looked  for  with  this  imprint,  and 
the  fifteen,  thirty  and  ninety  cents  at  this  time  were 
still  printed  from  the  plates,  with  the  imprint  of  the 
Continental  Bank  Note  Co. 

The  gum  has  the  white  shade  and  the  colors  are 
the  same  as  used  by  that  company. 

The  one  cent  of  the  dull  indigo  blue. 

The  two  cents  has  a  misty  look. 

The  three  cents  inclines  to  a  blue-green. 

The  five  cents  has  heavier  lines  and  is  a  darker 
blue. 

The  ten  cents  returns  to  the  light  appearance  of 
the  original  of  1870  but  is  of  the  yellow-brown 
shade. 

1    ISSUE  OF  APRIL  lOm,  1882. 

With  the  letting  of  the  contract  for  another  term 
in  June,  1881,  the  American  Bank  Note  Company 
again  secured  the  contract. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  President  Garfield,  it  was 
proposed  that  his  portrait  should  be  placed  on 
the  five  cent  stamp  used  for  foreign  postage, 
and  the  stamp  printed  in  mourning,  as  was  said  to 
have  been  done  with  the  fifteen  cent  stamp,  then  used 
for  foreign  postage,  after  the  death  of  President 
Lincoln.  The  stamp  with  the  head  of  Tay- 
lor, it  was  said  had  been  hurridly  gotten  up,  and 
did  not  correspond  with  the  rest  of  the  series.  By 


—  181    - 

direction  of  Postmaster  General  James,  the  Amer- 
ican Bank  Note  Co.  therefore  prepared  the  new 
stamp,  after  a  photograph  of  President  Garfield. 
Mrs.  Garfield  was  consulted,  and  proofs  in  various 
colors  were,  it  is  said,  submitted  to  her.  Instead 
of  black,  she  finally  selected  a  Vandyke  brown. 
The  first  proofs  were  in  black,  and  at  the  request  of 
Mrs.  Garfield  it  is  stated,  the  Postmaster  General 
sent  one  of  them,  mounted  on  card  and  placed  in  a 
frame  of  silver,  surrounded  by  a  second  frame  of 
gold,  on  a  background  of  purple  velvet,  and  pro- 
tected by  a  glass  in  an  ebony  frame,  to  Her  Maj- 
esty, the  Queen  of  England. 

From  the  correspondence  columns  of  the  daily 
papers,  we  learn  that  the  Department  received  the 
first  invoice  of  these  stamps  at  Washington,  the  7th 
of  February,  1882,  and  that  it  was  expected  to  be- 
gin the  issue  tbe  1st  of  March,  foil: wing.  Mr. 
Durbin  obtained  some  copies  which  he  used  on  St. 
Valentines  day.  But  the  stumps  were  not  distri- 
buted from  the  offices  until  the  10th  of  April,  1882 
and  were  then  sold  only  as  the  supply  of  the  old 
ones  was  exhausted.  This  is  the  date  officially 
given  by  the  report  of  Postmaster  General  for  the 
year,  and  the  same  date  is  also  given  by  the  New 
York  papers.  The  description  given  by  the  Post- 
master General  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat. 

ISSUE  OF  APRIL  K)TH,  1882. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Portrait  in  profile  to  the  left,  of 
President  Garfield,  in  an  oval  disk  16  by  20  mm., 


—  1S2  — 

lined  horizontally  and  obliquely,  and  bordered  by 
a  line  of  colorless  pearls  on  a  broad  colored  band, 
resting  on  a  shield  lined  horizontally,  and  bordered 
by  a  colored  line,  very  heavy  on  the  right  side  and 
at  the  bottom,  and  an  exterior  fine  colorless  line  at 
the  bottom  and  sides,  all  on  a  back  ground  of  hori- 
zontal lines  bordered  at  the  sides  by  a  terminal  line 
of  color.  The  shield  is  square  at  the  top,  of  the 
width  of  the  stamp,  with  perpendicular  sides  not 
quite  so  far  apart,  the  corners  being  slanted  back, 
and  is  pointed  at  the  bottom  which  is  formed  of 
two  diagonal  lines.  A  large  solid  six  pointed  star, 
bordered  by  a  colorless  line  and  exterior  colored 
line  covers  the  lower  point  of  the  shield  and  a  part 
of  the  pearled  border,  and  bears  a  large  colorless 
numeral  "5."  On  each  side  of  this  a  ribbon  indi- 
cated by  a  colored  line,  inscribed  on  left  "Five," 
on  right  "Cents,"  in  outline  capitals,  on  a  ground 
of  short  vertical  lines.  On  the  background  of  the 
stamp,  beneath  all,  "  U.  S.  Postage"  in  colored 
block  letters,  shaded  on  the  left  and  top  by  color- 
less lines. 

Plate  impression,  19K  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

5  cents,  dark  chocolate. 

ISSUE  or  NOVEMBER,  1882. 

Without  any  notice  to  the  postmasters  or  the 
public,  new  plates  were  made  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Company,  and  slight  changes  were 
made  in  the  engraving.  These  began  to  appear  in 


—  183  — 

November,    1882,    and    may   be   found  in  the  one 
three,  six  and  ten  cent  values. 

ONE  CENT.  The  vertical  lines  of  the  background 
are  thickened  in  the  upper  half  and  so  nearly  touch, 
that  the  ground  now  appears  solid  and  in  fact  from 
the  running  of  the  ink,  sometimes  really  is  solid. 
The  curved  ornamental  lines  in  the  upper  corners 
and  the  balls  are  now  shaded  with  one  or  more  in- 
terior colored  lines,  instead  of  being  plain.  The 
exterior  shading  of  horizontal  lines  is  omitted  here, 
at  the  ends  of  the  upper  labels,  and  also  outside 
of  the  side  lines,  and  is  very  faint  under  the  lower 
ornaments  and  label. 

(a)  The  first  impressions  of  this   altered   plate 
are  in  an  ashey  blue  and,  the  upper  ornaments  are 
rendered  indistinct  by  the  interior  lines.      There  is 
a  whitish  space,  like   a  reflection  beneath  the  bust. 

(b)  Later  impressions  in  1886,  show  the  upper 
ornaments   more   distinctly  white,  and  shaded  out- 
side  again   by   lines   parallel  to  their   curves.     A 
heavy   shadow   now   appears    under  the  bust,    the 
ground  being  almost  solid  where  it  falls.   The  color 
by  daylight  is  again  slightly  of  the  ultramarine  cast, 
but   differing   only   slightty  from  the  ashey  hue  by 
gaslight. 

(c)  Later  impressions  in  1887,   show  the  return 
to  the  heavy  upper   ornaments,  but   their   exterior 
shading   remains  as  in  (b).     The   ground   work  of 
the  oval  is  uniform   and   there   is  no  light  or  dark 
shadow    under  the  bust.      The  ultramarine  is  of  a 
more  pronounced  cast  by  daylight. 


—  184  — 

Two  CENTS.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  change 
beyond  that  already  mentioned,  as  the  design  was 
soon  changed. 

THREE  CENTS.  The  altered  die  beside  the  other 
appears  quite  different,  but  a  close  examination  is 
necessary  to  determine  the  differences  at  first. 
Once  detected,  they  are  very  apparent.  The  lines 
of  ground  of  the  oval  are  heavier.  The  cross  lines 
can  still  be  seen  with  the  glass,  and  the  part  behind 
the  head  is  now  crossed  by  vertical  lines  also.  The 
shadows  of  the  upper  ornaments  are  now  solid,  and 
the  horizontal  lines  cannot  be  detected.  The  shad- 
ows of  the  oval  are  also  solid,  and  about  half  as 
broad  as  in  the  other  die.  The  horizontal  lines  can 
be  seen  by  the  glass,  but  are  very  light.  This  is  the 
most  conspicuous  difference.  The  vertical  shadow 
lines  under  the  lower  label  are  omitted.  The  shield 
in  the  old  die  has  a  ground  of  horizontal  lines  on 
the  right  side,  with  an  outside  vertical  border  line, 
and  two  fine  vertical  lines  on  the  horizontal  lines 
form  the  shadow  of  the  shield.  The  altered  die 
has  the  three  vertical  lines,  but  the  horizontal  lines 
are  omitted  to  the  point  where  the  bottom  line  be- 
gins. The  color  is  a  blue-green,  not  yellow-green 
as  before. 

Six  CENTS.  The  ground  work  of  the  oval,  is 
practically  solid  or  mottled,  that  of  the  panel  nearly 
so.  The  border  line  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
the  ground,  while  in  the  original  issue,  not  only  is 
the  border  line  distinct,  but  in  the  "sallie"  the  fine 
vertical  shadow  lines  can  be  counted  inside,  and  on 


—  185  — 

the  right  side  three,  very  close  together,  and  four 
lines  besides  these  between  the  panel  and  the  edge, 
counting  the  outside  line.  In  the  new,  none  of 
these  shadows  exist,  and  there  are  only  three  lines 
between  the  panel  and  the  edge,  including  the  out- 
side line.  In  the  old,  on  the  right  side,  there  are 
fourteen  lines  in  the  frame  above  and  below  the 
projection.  In  the  new  there  are  thirteen  above, 
and  eleven  below.  The  color  is  a  brick  red,  neither 
the  cochineal  or  pink  previously  used. 

TEN  CENTS.  The  frame  lines  have  all  been 
strengthened  as  well  as  those  of  the  background, 
so  that  the  entire  stamp  is  more  uniform  in  engrav- 
ing and  color,  but  has  entirely  lost  its  light  look. 
The  edges  no  longer  fade  away,  but  stand  out  sharp 
from  the  paper.  It  is  apparent  to  the  eye  that  the 
space  between  the  oval  and  the  shield,  is  reduced 
one-third  its  width.  There  are  only  four  vertical 
lines  between  the  line  of  the  shield  and  the  line  of 
the  oval  at  their  nearest  point  on  the  left,  or  six 
lines  in  all;  in  the  originals,  there  were  five  lines, 
or  seven  in  all.  Beneath  the  ribbon  containing  the 
value  in  the  old  stamps,  the  horizontal  lines  of  the 
background  are  scarcely  visible,  the  vertical  shade 
lines  being  conspicious.  In  the  new  the  horizontal 
lines  are  strong  and  clear. 

(ct)  The  earliest  impressions  are  in  rouddy  yel- 
low brown,  quite  uniform  all  over  the  stamp. 

(6)  Later  impressions,  in  1886,  are  in  a  clearer 
shade  of  yellow-brown, and  the  light  on  the  face 
has  been  increased,  much  improving  the  effect. 


—  186    - 

(c)     An  odd  purple-brown  shade   appeared    in 

1886. 
(cZ)     A  dark  black-brown  shade  is  now,  1887,  in 

use. 

THE  ISSUE  OF  OCTOBER,  1883. 

The  Act  of  the  47th  Congress,  Session  II,  Chap- 
ter 92,  approved  March  3d,  1883,  provided  that: 

"Upon  all  matter  of  the  1st  class  [as  defined  by  chap- 
ter 180  of  the  laws  of  Congress,  approved  March  3d, 
1879,  entitled:  An  Act,  etc.]  postage  shall  be  charged 
on  and  after  the  first  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1883,  at  the 
rate  of  two  cents  for  each  half  ounce  or  fraction  thereof, 
and  all  acts  so  far  as  they  fix  a  different  rate  of  postage 
than  herein  provided  upon  said  first  class  matter,  are  to 
that  extent  hereby  repealed.1' 

The  report  of  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster 
General  under  date  of  November  8th,  18s3,  says: 

"Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  Act  of  March  3d,  1883, 
preparations  were  begun  to  carry  the  new  law  into  ef- 
fect. The  change  left  the  3  cent  denomination  of  postage 
stamps  of  little  utility,  it  no  longer  representing  the  sin- 
gle rate  ot  postage  on  any  class  of  matter,  and  it  was 
determined  to  discontinue  its  issue.  As  the  public 
would  have  undoubtedly  regarded  with  disfavor,  the 
dropping  of  Washington  from  portraits,  forming  the  dis- 
tinguishing feature  in  the  series  of  postage  stamps,  it 
was  decided  to  replace  the  old  2  cent  stamp  by  a  new 
one  bearing  the  profile  of  the  first  president,  thus  restor- 
ing it  to  its  old  place  on  the  stamp  in  most  general  use. 
It  was  also  decided  to  issue  a  new  stamp  of  the  value  of 
four  cents,  a  denomination  not  previously  in  use.  and 
•designed  to  cover  two  rates  of  letter  postage.  The  por- 
trait of  Jackson,  formerly  on  the  2  cent  stamp,  was 


—  187  — 

transferred  to  this  new  (four  cent)  stamp.    The  follow- 
ing is  a  brief  description  of  the  new  stamp : 

Two  CENT  STAMP. 

An  oblong  shield,  slightly  shouldered  on  the  upper 
square,  the  lower  lines  terminating  in  a  point.  Within 
this  shieid  is  an  oval  containing  a  profile  bust  of  George 
Washington  engraved  in  line,  surrounded  by  a  ribbon 
•ending  with  small  scrolls  bearing  the  legend  "United 
States  Postage,"  in  white  letters.  From  each  end  of 
the  scrolls  a  chain  of  pearls  completes  the  outlines  of 
the  oval.  A  prominent  white-faced  figure  "2"  laps  over 
the  lower  centre  point  of  the  oval  and  shield,  dividing 
the  words  '"Two  Cents."  The  whole  is  enclosed  in  a 
dark  upright  square  to  give  relief  to  the  device.  The 
stamp  is  printed  in  dark  red. 

FOUR  CENT  STAMP. 

Over  an  oval  containing  a  bust  of  Andrew  Jackson  in 
profile,  is  a  ribbon  with  the  legend  "United  States  Post- 
age," in  white  letters.  A  string  of  pearls  forms  round 
the  lower  half  of  the  oval  and  unites  the  two  ends  of 
the  ribbon.  At  the  lower  part  of  the  oval,  on  either 
side,  appears  the  figure  "4,"  and  under  that  the  words 
•'Four  Cents,"  with  a  star  on  each  side,  all  engraved  in 
white  faced  letters.  The  whole  device  is  inclosed  in 
an  upright  oblong  tablet.  The  stamp  is  printed  in 
green. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  these  are  the  first  postage 
stamps  ever  bearing  the  words  "United  States  Postage" 
in  full,  the  name  of  the  country  being  abbreviated  to 
"U.  S,"  on  all  other  stamps  *  *  *  Postmasters 
were  notified  by  circular  of  the  coining  change  of  post- 
age, and  intrusted  to  make  their  requisitions  for  3  cent 
stamps  and  envelopes  sufficient  only  for  carefully  esti- 
mated needs  to  the  1st  October.  *  *  *  *  The  issue 


—  188  — 

of  the  new  2  cent  and  4  cent  stamped  envelopes  was 
commenced  on  the  1st  September,  and  of  the  2  and  4 
cent  adhesive  stamps  on  the  loth  September;  and  they 
were  so  generally  distributed  by  the  1st  October  that  the 
change  of  postage  was  attended  with  but  little  incon- 
venience for  want  of  the  necessary  stamps." 

The  circular  issued  to  postmasters  read  as  fol- 
lows: 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT, 
Office  of  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General, 
Washington,  D.  <?.,  July  18th,  1883. 

On  and  after  the  first  day  of  October,  1883,  the  rate  of 
postage  on  domestic  mail  matter  of  the  first  class,  will 
be  reduced  from  three  cents  per  half  ounce,  or  fraction 
thereof,  as  provided  by  Act  of  Congress,  approved  March 
3d,  1883. 

The  department  has  adopted  a  new  design  for  the  two 
cent  stamp. 

The  head  of  Washington,  in  profile  from  Houdon's 
bust,  placed  on  a  plain  tablet.  Above  the  oval,  sur- 
rounding the  head,  are  the  words  "United  States  Post- 
age," and  underneath  the  tablet  are  the  words  "  Two 
Cents."  The  stamp  will  be  printed  in  metallic  red. 
The  engraved  stamp  on  the  2  cent  envelope  will  also 
bear  the  head  of  Washington. 

A  four  cent  denomination  of  postage  stamps  and 
stamped  envelopes,  to  cover  double  postage  under  the 
new  rate,  will  also  be  issued. 

The  design  embraces  the  head  of  Jackson,  similar  to 
that  on  the  present  2  cent  stamp  and  envelope.  No 
change  will  be  made  in  the  postage  due  stamps. 

The  same  3  cent  stamps  and  stamped  envelopes  of 
the  present  design,  will  continue  to  be  valid  after  the  1st 
of  October,  and  must  be  accepted  in  payment  of  post- 
age whenever  offered  in  appropriate  amounts. 

The  drop  letter  rate  of  postage  will  remain  the  same 
as  now.  A.  D.  HAZEN, 

Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 


—  180  — 

ISSUE  OF  SEPTEMBER  15TH,  1883. 

Two  CENTS.  Bust  of  General  Washington,  in 
profile  to  the  left,  after  Houdon,  on  an  oval  disk, 
lined  horizontally  and  doubly  diagonally,  bordered 
by  a  colorless  line,  surrounded  by  a  solid  colored 
band,  ornamented  in  the  lower  two-thirds  with  a 
row  of  white  pearls,  the  upper  third  broadened 
into  a  label,  edged  outside  by  a  colorless  line,  with 
outside  colored  line,  the  ends  curved  round  into  a 
hook,  the  whole  resting  on  a  shield  shaped  tablet, 
corresponding  to  that  of  the  last  three  cents,  hori- 
zontally lined  and  edged  by  a  colored  line,  very 
heavy  on  the  right  and  bottom,  with  an  outside 
colorless  line,  the  whole  on  a  rectangular  background 
of  horizontal  lines,  very  close  together  below,  and 
farther  apart  above.  There  are  no  shadows  except 
a,  few  vertical  lines  beneath  the  projecting  part  of 
the  top  parts  of  the  shield. 

The  label  above  the  oval  is  inscribed  "United 
States  Postage ,"  in  full  colorless  capitals,  on  the 
solid  ground.  A  large  colorless  numeral  outlined 
in  color  and  doubly  shaded  outside,  obscures  the 
point  of  the  shield  and  the  pearled  and  colorless 
border  of  the  oval,  dividing  the  words  '•'•Two  Cents" 
in  full  colorless  capitals  on  the  background,  so 
shaded  as  to  be  on  a  solid  colored  ground. 

Plate  impression,  19>a  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  metallic  red. 

FOUR  CENTS.     Bust  of  Andrew  Jackson,  in  pro- 


—  190  — 

file  to  left,  after  Powers,  in  an  oval  disk,  horizon- 
tally lined,  very  closely  at  the  top,  and  doubly 
diagonally  bordered  by  a  colorless  line,  twice  as 
wide  as  that  in  the  last  two  cents,  surrounded  by  a 
solid  colored  band,  ornamented  with  pearls  below, 
and  broadened  above  into  a  label,  bordered  above 
and  at  the  ends  by  a  colorless  line,  and  inscribed 
'"'•United  States  Postage,"  just  as  in  the  two  cents, 
the  whole  resting  on  a  rectangular  tablet, with  hori- 
zontally lined  ground,  crossed  by  vertical  lines  be- 
low the  oval,  and  bordered  by  a  vertical  colorless 
line  on  the  right  and  above  the  oval  on  the  left, 
with  mitered  or  bevelled  edge,  represented  by  five 
colored  lines  parallel  with  the  top,  bottom  and 
sides,  the  right,  upper  third  of  the  left,  and  bottom 
bevel  crossed  by  short  colored  lines  at  right  angles. 
On  the  ground  below  the  oval,  which  is  nearly  solid 
color,  in  colorless  capitals,  "Four  Cents,"  between 
colored  five  pointed  stars.  Large  colorless  numeral 
"4"  on  each  side,  above  the  stars  and  end  letters 
of  the  value. 

Plate  impression,  19/lj  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  slightly  surfaced  with  green,  perfor- 
ated 12. 

4  cents,  blue  green. 

The  arrangement  of  the  plates,  printer's  imprint, 
plate  number,  etc.,  is  the  same  as  before,  for  both 
of  the  new  stamps. 

The  report  of  1883  also  proposed  that  the  3  and 
6  cent  stamps  should  be  called  in,  redeemed  and 
destroyed.  Nothing  seems  to  have  been  done 
about  it  however,  until  Frank  Hatton,  Postmaster 


—  101  — 

General,  issued  an  order,  dated  December  1st,  1884, 
that  the  three  and  six  cents  of  all  issues  with  the 
exceptions  following,  should  be  exchanged  by  post- 
masters for  other  values. 

'•Especial  care  must  be  taken  not  to  redeem  post- 
age stamps  issued  prior  to  1861,  as  such  stamps  were 
long  since  declared  obsolete  and  valueless  for  postage. 
Xo  six  cent  stamps  were  issued  prior  to  1861.  The  three 
cent  issued  before  that  time  bears  the  head  of  Washing- 
ton, and  is  printed  In  red.  In  a  straight  line  at  the  top- 
are  the  words  "U.  S.  Postage,"  and  at  the  bottom,  the 
words  "Three  Cents."  The  figure  3  does  not  appear  on 
the  stamps,  as  it  does  upon  all  subsequent  issues  of  that 
denomination.  Stamps  answering  to  this  description,, 
must  in  all  cases  be  refused." 

On  the  14th  of  January,  1885,  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral Frank  Hatton,  by  order  No.  75,  appointed  a 
committee  of  three  to  proceed  among  other  things 
to  the  stamp  manufactory  at  New  York,  and  effect- 
ually cancel  all  the  plates,  except  one  working  plate 
of  each  denomination,  of  the  issues  of  1847,  of  1851, 
including  the  two  carrier  stamps,  of  1861,  of  186& 
newspaper  and  periodicals,  of  1869,  of  the  3,  5,  Tay- 
lor, 7,  12  and  24  cents  of  1870,  3  and  9  cent  news- 
paper and  periodical  of  1874,  and  of  all  the  Depart- 
ment stamps. 

"One  plate  of  each  kind  and  denomination  of  postage 
stamp  reserved  as  above,  and  the  dies  and  rolls  from 
wrhich  they  have  been  produced,  together  with  all  the 
cancelled  plates,  to  be  inventoried,  waxed  and  carefully 
boxed  and  sealed,  and  placed  in  the  vault  of  the  stamp 
manufactory,  in  the  custody  and  under  the  control  of 
the  agent.'' 


—  192  — 

The  committee  were  also  to  cancel  any  worn  out 
and  unserviceable  plates  of  the  current  series,  and 
to  count  and  destroy  the  official  stamps  remaining 
in  the  vaults  of  the  American  Bank  Note  Company, 
of  all  denominations  and  Departments,  numbering 
17, 024, 588, of  the  3  and  9  cent  newspaper  and  peri- 
odical stamps  of  1874,  numbering  324,990,  and  of 
the  7,  12,  and  24  cent  stamps  of  the  1870  issue, 
numbering  1,414,300,  a  grand  total  of  18,763,878 
stamps.  On  the  24th  of  February,  the  committee 
reported  that  they  had  carried  out  the  order. 

A.  D.  Hazen,  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral, who  recommended  this  holocaust,  says : 

'•I  haveexcepted  from  this  recommendation  the  3  cent 
stamps  of  the  current  series,  of  which  there  are  135,800 
in  the  vault,  for  the  reason  that  though  their  general 
issue  has  been  discontinued,  occasional  calls  are  made 
for  them  by  some  of  the  larger  offices.'* 

The  reports  show  further  that  from  January  1st, 
to  June  30,  1886,  1,094,200  three  cent  stamps  were 
actually  issued.  During  the  same  period,  201,600 
six  cent  stamps  were  also  issued,  while  645,950 
thirty  cent  stamps,  and  only  29,620  ninety  cent 
stamps  were  issued.  As  a  matter  of  fact  therefore 
these  values,  though  retired  from  general  issue, 
are  more  in  demand  than  the  two  higher  values 
retained,  nearly  2  to  1,  as  between  the  3  and  30 
cents,  50  to  1  as  between  the  3  and  90  cents,  or  9 
to  1  as  between  the  6  and  90  cents,  and  that  too 
when  the  general  public  is  unaware  that  these 
values  can  be  obtained  at  all. 


-  193  — 

CONTRACT  FOR  1885-89. 

The  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  adhesive 
stamps  between  the  Department  and  the  American 
Bank  Note  Company, expiring  on  the  30th  of  June, 
1885,  sealed  proposals  were  invited  by  public  ad- 
vertisement of  March  30th,  1885,  for  a  new  con- 
tract for  four  years  from  July  1st,  1885.  The  im- 
portant features  of  the  new  contract  to  be  noticed 
here,  are^m,  that  a  definite  standard  of  paper  to 
be  used  for  printing  the  stamps,  made  by  an  im- 
proved formula,  was  for  the  first  time  required,  all 
other  contracts  having  provided  that  the  paper 
should  be  equal  to  a  sample  only;  and  second,  that 
all  ordinary  postage  stamps  should  be  printed 
wholly  by  machinery  run  by  steam  power.  "The 
two  previous  centracts,  1877  to  1881,  and  1881  to 
1885,  expressly  stipulated  that  the  printing  should 
be  done  on  hand  roller  presses,  the  use  of  steam 
presses  under  the  contract  immediately  preceeding 
the  same,  1873  to  1877,  which  was  silent  as  to  the 
mode  of  printing,  having  resulted  in  extremely  un- 
satisfactory work." 

The  act  of  the  48th  Congress,  Session  II,  Chap- 
ter 342,  approved  March  30th,  1885,  provides: 

"That  upon  all  matter  of  the  first  class,  as  defined  by 
chapter  180  of  the  laws  of  Congress,  approved  March  3d, 
1879,  entitled:  An  Act,  etc.,  and  by  that  act  declared 
subject  to  postage  at  the  rate  of  three  cents  for  each 
half  ounce  or  fraction  thereof,  and  reduced  by  act  of 
March  3d,  1883,  to  two  cents  for  each  ounce  or  fraction 
thereof,  postage  shall  be  charged,  on  and  after  the  first 


—  194  — 

day  of  July,  1885,  at  the  rate  of  two  cents  for  each  ounce 
or  fraction  thereof;  and  drop  letters  shall  be  mailed  at 
the  rate  of  two  cents  per  ounce  or  fraction  thereof,  in- 
cluding delivery  at  letter  carrier  offices,  and  one  cent 
for  each  ounce  or  fraction  thereof  where  free  delivery  by 
carriers  is  not  established." 

It  was  claimed  that  the  improvments  in  machin- 
ery had  produced  steam  presses  that  could  produce 
better  word  than  the  hand  presses,  at  less  cost. 
Bids  were  taken  for  stamps  printed  entirely  by 
hand,  partly  by  hand  and  partly  by  steam,  entirely 
by  steam  ;  the  last  two  with  or  without  an  option 
reserved  to  the  Postmaster  General,  to  require  the 
work  to  be  done  by  hand  roller  presses.  The 
Treasury  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing,  the 
Franklin  Bank  Note  Co.,  and  the  American  Bank 
Note  Co.,  were  the  only  bidders.  The  latter  again 
secured  the  contract  to  print  the  ordinary  stamps, 
by  steam  power  entirely,  and  the  newspaper,  post- 
age due  and  special  delivery  stamps  by  hand  roller 
presses.  For  the  latter  of  these  they  are  paid  $18 
per  1000,  for  the  postage  due  $8.49  per  1000,  and 
for  the  steam  printed  stamps  $6.99  per  thousand. 
For  these  latter  the  Government  paid  $9.19  under 
the  previous  contract  up  to  1885,  $9.98  up  to  1881, 
and  $14,99  up  to  1877. 

The   following  is  the   number  of   stamps  of   the 
issue  of  1870  as  it  is  called  without  the  grille. 
1  cent,    old       plate,  blue, 1,748,378,900 

1  "        altered    "         "     1,872,063,600 

2  cents,  old  "       brown 176,830,300 

2      "        "  "      vermilion 661,829,150 


—  195  — 

2  il  new        "      red-brown 4,370,788,300 

3  "  old  4,986,505,600 

3  "  altered    "      629,537,100 

5  "  Jackson  80,3cO,500 

5  '•      Garfield          14,454,640 

6  "      old        plate 76,726,850 

6  "      altered    "     8,013,300 

7  " 3,349,100 

10  "       old  79,126,690 

10  "      altered    <; 81,307,910 

12  "  3,272,125 

15  "  16,136,380 

24  *•  716,975 

30  "  6,134,410 

DO  '•  436,150 

The  paper  provided  for  in  this  contract  is  the 
soft  porous  paper,  which  according  to  Mr.  Sterling 
was  introduced  in  1883.  It  is  not  stiff  and  hard 
like  the  previous  paper,  and  seems  to  have  been 
adopted  about  the  time  of  the  change  in  the  dies> 
the  fall  1882.  All  the  values  employed  since  are 
to  be  found  on  it.  It  may  be  noted  that  the  fifteen 
and  thirty  cents  on  this  paper  are  with  the  imprint 
of  the  American  Company.  The  fifteen  is  again  a 
deep  orange  and  the  thirty  a  full  black. 

ISSUE  OF  1883,  ETC. 

Same  colors,  values  and  designs,  soft  porous  pa- 
per, perforated  12. 

1  cent,    ultramarine  blue. 

2  cents,  red-brown. 


—  196  — 


o  ce 
4 
5 

ats,  green. 
'      dark  green. 
'         "     brown. 

6 

'             (  (             ;  ' 

10 

'       brown. 

12 
30 

:       orange. 
'      black. 

90 

'       carmine. 

ISSUE  OF  JUNE   15xH,  1887. 
The  following  circular  explains  itself : 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 
Office  of  the  Postmaster  General. 

Washington,  D.  <7.,  May  23d,  1887. 

On  or  about  the  15th  of  June,  1S87,  the  Department 
will  begin  the  issue  of  a  new  design  of  the  ordinary  one 
cent  postage  stamp,  of  which  the  following  is  a  descrip- 
tion :  The  center  of  the  stamp  consists  of  a  profile  bust  of 
Benjamin  Franklin  (after  the  original  by  Caracci),  look- 
ing to  the  left,  in  an  oval  disk,  with  shaded  background, 
the  lower  portion  of  the  oval  being  bordered  with  pearls 
and  the  upper  portion  with  a  curved  frame,  containing 
in  small  white  letters, the  words,  "United  States  Postage" 
The  whole  is  engraved  in  line  upon  a  shield  shaped 
tablet,  with  a  truncated  pyramidal  base,  bearing  on  it  the 
words  "one"  and  "cent,"  on  either  side  of  the  figure  "1." 
The  color  of  the  stamp  is  ultramarine  blue,  and  its  general 
appearance  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  stamp 
now  in  use. 

Before  ordering  supplies  of  the  new  stamps,  postmast- 
ers will  be  expected  to  exhaust  their  stock  of  the  old, 
which  will  continue  to  be  valid.  Under  no  circum- 
stances are  the  old  stamps  to  be  sent  to  the  Department 
for  redemption  or  exchange 

WILLIAM  T.  VILAS, 

H.  E.  HAKKIS,  Postmaster  General. 

Third  Assist.  P.  M.  General. 


—  197  — 

ISSUE  OF  JUNE  15th,  1887. 

ONE  CENT.  Head  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  pro- 
file to  the  left,  after  Carraci,  on  an  oval  disk  lined 
horizontally  and  doubly  diagonally,  the  upper  third 
bordered  by  a  label,  the  lower  two  thirds  by  a 
broad  soild  colored  line,  ornamented  with  colorless 
pearls  increasing  in  size  from  top  to  bottom,  with  a 
colorless  line  outside  this,  shaded  by  another  heav}^ 
colored  line.  The  label  is  of  solid  color,  between 
two  colorless  lines,  the  upper  one  curved  round  the 
ends,  forming  a  hook  and  edged  outside  by  a  fine 
colored  line,  and  is  inscribed  in  white  capitals  simi- 
lar to  the  two  cents  last  described,  "United  States 
Postage."  The  whole  is  on  a  horizontally  lined 
shield  shaped  tablet,  the  top  similar  to  that  of  the 
two  cents,  but  with  a  small  point  in  the  centre  of 
the  top  and  the  diagonals  shorter.  The  bottom  is 
curved  at  the  corners,  then  curved  back  up  and 
round,  and  spreads  out  into  the  lower  part  of  a 
"truncated  pyramid,"  It  is  edged  with  a  heavy 
colored  line  on  the  right  and  bottom,  with  a  heavy 
colored  line  on  the  left  and  top.  On  the  truncated 
base  is  a  large  pearled  outlined  colorless  numeral 
"1,"  dividing  the  border  of  the  oval  and  the  words 
"One  Cent,"  in  outline  colorless  capitals.  The 
rectangle  is  filled  out  with  horizontal  lines  at  the 
sides  of  the  shield  and  vertical  line  at  the  top. 

Plate  impression,  20  by  25K  mm,,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,  ultramarine  blue. 


XXIV. 

POSTAGE  DUE  STAMPS. 

From  the  adoption  of  compulsory  prepayment 
up  to  1879,  various  regulations  had  been  made 
from  time  to  time  regarding  insufficiently  paid  let- 
ters, in  order  to  relieve  the  Dead  Letter  Office  as 
far  as  possible,  and  yet  enforce  the  prepa3^ment 
of  all  mail  matter.  Nevertheless  mistakes  contin- 
ued to  be  made  and  the  practice  of  forwarding  all 
letters  upon  which  one  full  rate  was  paid,  and  col- 
lecting the  balance  of  the  receiver  had  finally  been 
adopted,  the  amount  to  be  collected  being  written 
or  stamped  upon  the  letter.  From  this  practice 
abuses  arose,  and  by  the  Act  of  the  XLV  Congress, 
Section  III,  Chapter  180,  Section  26,  approved 
March  3d,  1879,  it  was  enacted: 

•'That  all  mail  matter  of  the  first  class  upon  which  one 
full  rate  of  postage  has  been  prepaid  shall  be  forwarded 
vto  its  destination  charged  with  the  unpaid  rate,  to  be 
•collected  on  delivery,  but  postmasters  before  delivering 
.the  same,  or  any  article  of  mail  matter  upon  which  pre- 
payment in  full  has  not  been  made,  shall  affix,  or  cause 
to  be  affixed,  and,'cancelled  as  ordinary  stamps  are  can- 


—  199  — 

Celled,  one  or  more  stamps  equivalent  in  value  to  the 
amount  of  postage  due  on  such  article  of  mail  matter, 
which  stamps  shall  be  of  such  special  design  as  the 
Postmaster  General  shall  prescribe,  and  which  shall  in 
no  case  be  sold  by  any  postmaster  or  received  by  him  in 
prepayment  of  postage,"  etc. 

Sec.  27.  "That  any  postmaster  or  other  person  en- 
gaged in  the  postal  service  who  shall  collect  and  fail  to 
account  for  the  postage  due  upon  any  article  of  mail 
matter  which  he  may  deliver  without  having  previously 
affixed  and  cancelled  such  stamp  as  herein  before  pro- 
vided shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  on 
conviction  thereof  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  fifty 
dollars/' 

Shortly  after  the  passage  of  this  Act  the  follow- 
ing circular  was  addressed  to  all  postmasters : 

Form  No.  3288. 
SPECIAL  STAMP  FOR  POSTAGE  DUE. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT 

Office  of  the  Third  AssistantPostmaster  General. 
Division  of  Stamps,  Stamped  Envelopes  and  Postal  Cards. 

Washington,  D.  C.  May  5th  187 9. 

By  Sections  26  and  27  of  the  Act  of  Congress,  making 
appropriations  for  the  service  of  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment for  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1880,  and  for  other 
purposes  "approved  March  3d,  1879,  it  is  made  the  duty 
of  postmasters  to  affix  to  all  mail  matter  that  has  ar- 
rived at  destination  without  full  payment  of  postage, 
and  before  delivery  of  the  same,  an  amount  of  stamps 
equal  to  the  postage  due,  the  stamps  to  be  of  such  spec- 
ial design  as  the  Postmaster  General  may  direct. 

To  avoid  any  confusion  in  the  accounts  of  Postmast- 
ers with  the  Auditor,  and  011  account  of  the  length  of  the 
•time  necessary  to  prepare  for  the  change  contemplated 


—  200  — 

by  the  above  sections  in  the  mode  of  collecting  and  ac- 
counting for  short  paid  postage,  it  has  been  decided  to 
have  the  same  go  into  practical  operation  on  the  1st  of 
July  next. 

The  Department  however,  will  begin  issuing  sometime 
during  the  present  month,  in  anticipation  of  the  wants 
of  postmasters,  special  stamps  for  the  collection  of 
postage  due  of  the  denomination  of  1,  2,  3  and  5  cents, 
and  of  the  following  general  description : 

A  large  figure,  representing  the  denomination  is  placed 
in  the  center  of  the  stamp,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  oval 
of  very  delicate  lathe  work.  On  the  upper  border  of 
this  oval,  the  words  "Postage  Due"  are  printed  in  white 
letters ;  in  the  lower  border  is  the  denomination,  in  let- 
ters of  the  same  kind ;  on  either  side  of  the  oval  are  the 
letters  "U.  S."  in  a  small  white  shield.  Around  the  ov- 
al is  a  form  of  complex  character,  described  upon  an  ob- 
long tablet.  The  general  design  is  the  same  for  all  the 
stamps,  the  only  difference  being  in  the  figures  and  let- 
tering for  the  several  denominations.  The  color  is  the 
same,  a  reddish  brown. 

These  stamps  are  intended,  exclusively  for  the  collec- 
tion of  postage  due  on  matter  arriving  at  destination 
through  the  mails,  and  are  to  be  used  in  combination, 
whereever  required  to  cover  unusual  amounts  of  postage. 
They  are  to  be  cancelled  in  the  customary  way  after 
being  attached  to  mail  matter,  are  never  to  be  sold  or  re- 
ceived by  Postmasters  for  prepayment  of  postage. 
Postmasters  must  distinctly  understand,  that  these 
stamps  are  not  to  be  used  until  July  1st,  1879. 

A  supply  of  these  will  be  sent  at  first  to  all  post 
offices  in  advance  of  requisitions  from  postmasters,  and 
charged  to  their  account;  but  afterwards  they  must  be 
ordered  on  blank  forms  (No.  3285)  to  be  furnished  by 
the  First  Assistant  Postmaster  General.  With  the  first 
supply  of  stamps,  however,  blank  requisitions  for  future 


—  201  — 

use  will  be  enclosed. 

The  stamps  will  be  accounted  for  to  the  auditor  the 
same  as  other  stamps,  and  will  enter  into  the  monthly 
reports  of  stamps,  etc.,  received,  sold  and  on  hand, 
required  by  the  regulations,  to  be  made  by  postmasters 
at  Presidential  offices,  to  the  Third  Assistant  Post- 
master General. 

On  the  next  page  of  this  circular  will  be  found  the 
sections  of  the  new  postal  law  and  regulations  relating 
to  the  above  described  stamps,  which  are  published  in 
advance  for  the  information  and  guidance  of  post- 
masters. ,The  distinguishing  numbers  of  the  sections 
cannot  now  be  given,  but  the  instructions  are  here 
printed  in  the  same  order  in  which  they  will  appear  in 
the  forthcoming  volume  of  the  new  postal  regulations. 

A.  D.  HAZEN, 
Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

ISSUE  OF  MAY  9iH,  1879. 
For  use  from  and  after  July  1st,  1879. 

Large  colorless  numeral,  10  mm.  high,  represent- 
ing the  value,  ornamented  and  shaded,  on  an  oval 
disk,  17  by  13K  mm.,  with  colored  ground  orna- 
mented by  colorless  geometric  lathe  work,  bordered 
by  a  solid  colored  band  beween  two  heavy  colorless 
lines  and  an  exterior  fine  colored  line,  interrupted 
by  small  white  shields  on  the  sides  bearing  11U." 
on  the  left,  "$."  on  the  right,  in  fancy  colored 
capitals.  The  band  is  inscribed  in  white  capitals, 
above,  *  'Postage  Due,"  below  with  the  value  in  full 
letters,  the  whole  on  a  tablet  with  vertically  lined 
ground,  with  an  irregular  outline  colorless  line  bor- 
dered by  an  extensive  fine  colored  line,  and  a  double 


—  202  — 

rectangular  frame,  the  interior  formed  by  paral- 
lel, diagonal  curved  lines,  and  the  exterior  by 
vertical  short  lines  at  top  and  bottom,  horizontal 
ones  at  sides,  indicating  a  bevel. 

Plate  impression,  20  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,  reddish  brown. 

2  cents,  " 

3  "  " 
5      "                 " 

The  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  dated  Dec- 
ember, 1879,  states: 

"Under  a  provision  in  the  act  of  Congress,  approved 
March  3d  1879,  authorizing  a  change  in  the  mode  of  col- 
lecting postage  due,  on  matter  arriving  at  destination 
through  the  mails,  the  Department  began  issuing 
on  the  9th  of  May,  special  stamps,  called  postage  due 
stamps,  of  the  denominations  of  1,  2,  3  and  5  cents,  and 
subsequently  of  the  additional  denominations  of  10,  30, 
and  50  cents.  Before  the  first  of  July,  every  office  in  the 
country  was  provided  with  a  supply  of  these  stamps, 
and  the  new  system  of  collecting  short  paid  postage  is 
now  fairly  in  operation." 

ISSUE  OF  AUGUST,  1879. 

Stamps  of   the   same   design,    but  there   being 
two  figures,  the  numerals  are  smaller. 

Plate  impression,  in  color  on  white  paper,  perfo- 
rated 12. 

10  cents,  reddish  brown. 
30     "  " 

50     "  " 


—  203  — 

The  number  of  these  stamps  issued  from  Ma}r, 
1879,  to  June  30th,  1885,  was: 

1  cent, 25,328,525 

2  cents,  30,534,425 

3  ' '   3 1 , 146 ,230 

5   "   5,029,435 

10   "   6,105,175 

30   "   169,078 

50   "   v 93,490 

OBSERVATIONS. 

There  are  two  quite  distinct  shades  of  the  red- 
brown  in  which  these  stamps  are  printed,  the  earl- 
ier issues  being  of  a  brown  that  shows  hardly  a 
trace  of  red,  while  those  printed  under  the  1885 
contract  are  of  the  shade  of  the  current  two  cent 
postage  stamp. 


XXV. 

SPECIAL  DELIVERY  STAMP. 

The  history  of  the  introduction  and  usage  of 
these  stamps  is  contained  in  the  following  extracts 
from  two  circulars,  both  dated  at  Post  Office  De- 
partment, Office  of  the  Postmaster  General,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  August  llth,  1885,  and  signed  by 
William  F.  Vilas,  Postmaster  General.  The  first 
directed  to  postmasters  reads  as  follows : 

" SIR:—  On  the  first  of  October,  1885,  you  are  directed 
to  establish  at  your  office,  a  system  for  special  delivery 
of  letters,  in  accordance  with  sections  3,  4,  5  and  6  of 
the  Act  making  appropriation  for  the  postal  service  for 
the  current  fiscal  year  (XLVIII  Congress,  Session  II, 
Chapter  342,  approved  March  3d,  1885,)  which  are  as 
follows : 

SECTION  3.  That  a  special  stamp  of  the  face  valua- 
tion of  10  cents  may  be  provided  and  issued,  whenever 
deemed  advisable  or  expedient,  in  such  form  and  bear- 
ing such  device  as  may  meet  the  approval  of  the  Post- 
master General,  which  when  attached  to  a  letter,  in 
addition  to  the  lawful  postage  thereon,  the  delivery  of 
which  is  to  be  at  a  free  delivery  office,  or  at  any  city, 
town  or  village  containing  a  population  of  4,000  or  over, 


—  205  — 

according  to  the  Federal  census,  shall  be  regarded  as 
entitling  such  letter  to  immediate  delivery  within  the 
carrier  limit  of  any  free  delivery  office  which  may  be 
designated  by  the  Postmaster  General  as  a  special  de- 
livery office,  or  within  one  mile  of  the  post  office  at  any 
other  office  coming  within  the  provisions  of  this  section 
which  may  in  like  manner  be  designated  as  a  special 
delivery  office." 

SECTION  4  provides  for  immediate  delivery  between 
the  hours  of  7  A.  M.  and  midnight. 

SECTION  5  provides  for  the  employment  of  special 
messengers  and, 

SECTION  6  the  mode  of  paying  them.  The  rest  of 
this  circular  gives  the  details  of  the  service  which  it  is 
not  necessary  to  repeat  here. 

The  second  circular  after  reciting  the  provisions 
of  Section  3,  of  the  Act  of  March  3d,  1885,  and 
that  it  has  been  decided  to  introduce  the  system 
on  the  first  day  of  October,  at  all  the  post  offices 
permitted  by  the  law ;  contains  a  description  of 
the  stamp  prepared  to  carry  out  the  law,  which 
with  some  additions  is  as  follows : 

SPECIAL  DELIVERY  STAMP. 
ISSUE  OF  OCTOBER  IST,  1885. 

A  line  engraving  on  steel,  oblong  in  form ;  di- 
mensions ^-|  by  1-fg  inches,  color  dark  blue.  De- 
sign :  on  the  left  in  an  arched  panel,  10 £  by  15 £ 
mm.,  a  mail  messenger  boy  on  a  run,  faced  to  the 
right  on  a  hatched  back-ground,  and  surrounded 
above  by  the  words  "  United  States,"  in  curved 
line  of  colorless  capitals.  On  the  right  an  oblong 


—  206  — 

tablet,  ornamented  with  a  wreath  of  oak  on  the  left, 
and  laurel  on  the  right,  surrounding  the  words, 
'''•Secures — Immediate — Delivery — At  a  special — De- 
livery— Office,"  in  six  lines  of  white  capitals  on  a 
solid  ground.  The  ground  of  the  tablet  above  is 
composed  of  light  vertical  lines  with  colorless  bor- 
der. Across  the  top  of  the  tablet,  but  above  it,  is 
the  legend,  ^Special — Postal  delivery  "  and  at  the 
bottom  the  words,  "Ten  cents,"  separated  by  a 
shield  bearing  the  numeral  "70."  The  entire 
ground  of  the  stamp  is  composed  of  fine  vertical 
lines  except  the  edges,  which  are  so  contrived  as 
to  appear  bevelled. 

Plate  impression,  21  by  27  mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

10  cents,  dark  blue. 

"They  are  to  be  sold  by  Postmasters  to  any  required 
amount,  and  to  any  person  who  may  apply  for  them,  but 
they  can  be  used  only  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
immediate  delivery  of  letters.'" 

About  a  year  ago,  after  the  system  was  inaugu- 
rated at  carrier  offices  there  was  a  further  change 
in  the  law,  and  the  system  was  further  extended  as 
is  shown  by  the  following  extracts  from  three  circu- 
lars, all  dated  August  10th,  1886,  from  the  office 
of  the  Postmaster  General,  Washington,  D.  C., 
signed  by  William  F.  Vilas,  Postmaster  General.  The 
first  is  addressed  to  Postmasters  at  carrier  offices, 
the  second  to  all  other  postmasters,  and  the  third 
to  the  public.  The  following  from  the  first  circu- 
lar: 


—  207  — 

"•By  the  Act  of  August  4th.  1886,  Congress  has  authorized 
the  exteution  of  the  special  delivery  system  to  all  post- 
offices  and  to  all  raailable  matter.  The  Act  is  as  follows, 
namely : 

'That  every  article  of  mailable  matter  upon  which  the 
special  stamp,  provided  for  by  Section  3  of  the  act  en- 
titled :  an  Act,  etc.,  shall  be  duly  affixed,  shall  be  entitled 
to  immediate'delivery  according  to  said  act,  within  the 
carrier  limit  of  any  free  delivery  office,  and  within  one 
mile  of  any  other  post  office  which  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral shall  at  any  time  designate  as  a  special  delivery 
office." 

From  the  second  circular  only  this  is  of  interest : 

"No  change  will  be  made  in  the  general  style  of  the 
special  delivery  stamp  now  in  use.  The  following  is  its 
description:  (same  as  in  the  original  circular).  The 
words  'Secures  immediate  delivery  at  a  special  delivery 
office,'  will  however,  be  changed  to  read:  'Secures 
immediate  delivery  at  any  post  office.'  But  as  stamps 
with  the  former  words  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  post- 
masters and  the  public,  their  use  will  continue  until  the 
present  supply  shall  be  exhausted." 

From  the  third  cirular  only  this  is  to  be  noticed : 

"The  attention  of  the  public  is  invited  to  the  fact  that 
under  a  recent  Act  of  Congress  the  special  delivery  sys- 
tem heretofore  in  effect  in  cities  and  towns  having  a 
population  of  4,000  and  upwards,  has  been  extended  to 
all  post  offices  in  the  United  States,  to  take  effect  on  and 
after  October  1st,  1886.  The  privileges  of  this  system 
have  also  been  extended  to  all  classes  of  mail  matter." 

The  remainder  of  these  circulars  are  devoted  to 
directions  to  postmasters  at  the  two  classes  of  of- 
fices, and  to  the  public. 


—  208  — 

These  stamps  are  printed  in  sheets  of  100,  and 
distributed  in  half  sheets  of  50,  the  center  of  the 
sheets  being  marked  as  usual  by  an  arrow  head. 
There  are  consequently  10  stamps  in  a  row,  and 
10  rows  in  the  whole  sheet.  The  makers  imprint 
appears  four  times  on  the  sheet,  above  and  below 
the  center  row  of  each  half  sheet,  and  the  plate  num- 
ber is  also  four  times  repeated  on  the  sheet. 

3,699,560  special  delivery  stamps  were  issued  up 
to  June  30th,  1886. 


XXVI. 

NEWSPAPER  AND  PERIODICAL  STAMPS. 

ISSUE  OF  1865. 

The  newspaper  stamps  issued  by  the  United 
States  Post  Office  Department  do  not  correspond 
in  their  usage  very  nearty  to  the  stamps  de- 
nominated newpaper  stamps  in  other  countries. 
The  series  under  review  had  a  very  limited 
and  peculiar  use.  While  the  dissemination 
of  learning  and  information  had  always  been  fos- 
tered in  every  way  by  the  Acts  of  Congress,  and 
the  distribution  of  newpapers  and  periodicals  had 
always  been  undertaken  by  the  post  office  at  rates 
that  did  not  pay  for  the  expense  of  the  service,  in 
the  intention  of  encouraging  these  publications,  the 
Department  always  found  a  great  rival  in  the  express 
companies,  which,  having  conformed  their  rules  to 
the  exigencies  of  business,  were  enabled  to  deliver 
newspapers  and  periodicals  from  the  trains  to  the 
agents  and  dealers  always  hours,  sometimes  days  be- 
fore those  sent  by  the  mails  reached  their  destina- 


—  210  — 

tion,  as  these  were  sent  to  the  post  office  and  there 
assorted,  some  to  be  delivered  locally  and  others 
to  be  made  up  again  into  the  new  mail  for  further 
transportation,  while  those  sent  by  the  express 
companies  being  transferred  at  the  depot,  often  fin- 
ished their  journey  before  the  mails  could  be  made 
up  and  started* 

This  service  assisted  the  express  companies  in 
those  violations  of  the  postal  laws  which  each  year 
the  Postmaster  General  called  to  the  attention  of 
Congress,  and  Congress  endeavored  to  reach  by 
new  laws.  The  government  got  the  expensive 
service,  the  express  companies  the  paying  business 
partly  because  of  their  more  liberal  rates,  but  par- 
ticularly because  of  their  more  expeditious  service. 

The  attempt  was  therefore  made  to  so  frame  the 
law  that  the  post  office  might  successfully  compete 
for  the  carriage  of  newspapers.  The  Act  of  the 
XXXVII  Congress,  III  Session,  Chapter  71,  Sec- 
tion 38,  approved  the  3rd  of  March,  1863,  reads: 

"  And  be  it  further  enacted  that  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral may,  from  time  to  time,  provide  by  order  the  rates 
and  terms  upon  which  route  agents  may  receive  and  de- 
liver, at  the  mail  car  or  steamer,  packages  of  newspapers 
and  periodicals,  delivered  to  them  for  that  purpose  by 
the  publishers  or  any  news  agent  in  charge  thereof,  and 
not  received  from  or  designed  for  delivery  at  any  post 
office." 

Under  this  act  for  some  time  payment  was  made  in 
money,  but  the  report  of  the  Postmaster  General 
dated  November  15th,  1865,  states: 

"New  stamps  have  been  adopted  of  the  denominations 


—  211  — 

of  5,  10,  arid  25  ceuts  for  prepaying  postage  oil  packages 
of  newspapers  forwarded  by  publishers  or  news  dealers 
under  the  authority  of  law,  whereby  a  revenue  will  be 
secured,  hitherto  lost  to  the  Department." 

In  the  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  for  1878, 
the  date  of  this  issue  is  stated  to  have  been  April 
1st,  1865.  In  the  accounts  of  the  number  of 
stamps  issued  in  each  quarter  it  appears,  however, 
that  the  first  issue  was  in  the  quarter  between  June 
30th  and  September  30th,  1865. 

The  stamps  were  of  very  large  dimensions,  and 
the  figures  conspicuous.  A  package  adorned  with 
the  requisite  number  was  mailed  on  the  train  and 
it  could  easily  be  seen  that  it  was  duly  stamped. 
The  stamps  were  ordinarily  if  not  always,  cancelled 
by  smearing  them  with  ink,  with  a  brush,  and  not 
with  hand  stamps,  and  the  packages  were  thrown 
out  of  the  cars  to  the  agents  waiting  at  each  station 
to  receive  them,  and  were  often  torn  open  by  the 
agent  at  the  depot  and  distributed  to  his  customers 
there.  Thus  the  delay  that  sending  them  to  the 
post  office  for  distribution  would  have  caused,  was 
avoided. 

ISSUE  OF  APRIL  IST,  1865. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Large  bust  of  Washington  in  pro- 
file, faced  to  the  right,  indicated  by,  colorless 
curved  lines,  on  a  round  medallion  of  straight  hor- 
izontal lines,  28  mm.  in  diameter,  surrounded  by 
a  circular  band  of  curved  interlaced  colorless  lines, 
all  on  a  colored  ground,  a  smaller  circular  disk,  11 


—  212  — 

mm.  in  diameter,  interrupting  this  band  on  each 
side  displays  a  large  "V,"  in  color  on  a  horizontally 
lined  ground.  Above  on  a  solid  ground  of  color, 
but  ornamented  by  interlaced  colorless  lines  in  col- 
orless letters,  "J7.  S."  and  "Postage,"  in  a  second 
curved  line  ;  below  the  head  on  a  solid  curved  label 
covering  a  portion  of  the  'circular  band  in  large  col- 
orless capitals,  liFive  Cents"  ;  below  this  again,  the 
ground  is  ornamented  by  several  colorless  lines 
upon  which  appear  in  colored  capitals,  "Newspa- 
pers," a  colored  label  with  "and"  ;  in  colorless  capi- 
tals "Periodicals" ;  below  this  again,  in  two  lines 
of  colorless  capitals  on  the  colored  ground,  "Sec. 
18,  Act  of  Congress  approved  —March  3d,  1863." 
In  each  upper  corner  is  a  large  colorless  nnmeral 
"5."  About  all  is  a  frame  of  3  colorless  lines,  or- 
namented at  the  corners.  The  words  " National 
Bank  Note  Company,  New  York,"  in  small  color- 
less capitals  appear  between  the  lower  colorless 
lines,  The  colored  ground  extends  between  the 
stamps  which  were  perforated. 

Plate  impression,  55  by  98  mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

5  cents,  dark  blue. 

Note.     20,140  of  this  value  were  issued. 

TEN  Cents,  Similar  design,  but  with  the  profile 
of  Franklin  in  an  oval,  the  side  letters  "X,"  the 
label  "Ten  Cents,"  the  upper  numerals  "10,"  set 
at  an  angle. 

Plate   impression,   55  by   98  mm.,    in   color   on 


—  213  — 

white  paper,  perforated  12. 

10  cents,  green. 
Note.    215,600  of  this  value  were  issued. 

TwEXTY-FivE  CENTS.  Similar  design,  but  with  the 
profile  of  Lincoln,  faced  to  the  left,  in  a  rectangle 
with  corners  cut  off.  "25"  in  figures  instead  of 
numerals  at  the  side,  on  the  label  "Twenty  Five 
Cents,"  the  upper  numerals  "25"  set  at  an  angle. 

Plate  impression,  55  by  98  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

25  cents,  vermilion. 

Note.    31,488  of  this  value  were  issued. 

In  1868-9  there  were  issued  35,420  more  of  the 
five  cent  value,  but  these  were  improved  by  having 
the  broad  colored  border  removed  till  only  a  fine 
colored  line  remained  outside  the  colorless  frame. 

Plate  impression,  51?  by  95  mm.,  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

5  cents,  dark  blue,  white  border. 

The  Postmaster  General's  Report  for  1869  states 
that  the  use  of  these  stamps  ceased  about  the  1st 
of  February,  1869.  They  were  used  principly  at 
Chicago,  111.,  and  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Reprints  were 
made  of  all  of  them  except  the  5  cents  with  white 
border,  with  the  other  early  issues  in  1874. 

There  was  a  very  wide  margin  of  some  65  mm. 
at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  sheet,  the  manufact- 
urers imprint  appearing  at  the  top  and  bottom  in 
colored  letters  on  a  small  white  label  let  into  the 
colored  ground.  It  is  not  known  how  many  stamps 


—  214  — 
formed  a  sheet. 

NEWSPAPER  AND  PERIODICAL  STAMPS. 

ISSUE  OF  1874. 

Notwithstanding  the  very  liberal  provisions  of 
all  the  laws  regarding  postage  on  printed  matter, 
and  particularly  those  of  this  Act  of  March  3rd, 
1863,  we  find  the  Postmaster  General  in  his  report 
of  November  loth,  1869,  complaining  that  the  De- 
partment was  largely  defrauded  of  its  revenues  by 
abuses  rendered  possible  by  the  provisions  of  that 
Act,  and  suggesting  that : 

"For  this  mischief  there  is  but  one  adequate  remedy, 
and  that  is  to  require  prepayment  on  all  printed  matter. 
A  due  regard  to  the  convenience  of  the  publishers  of 
newspapers  would  require  that  postage  on  newspapers 
should  be  charged  according  to  the  weight  of  packages, 
and  that  such  packages  should  when  suspected,  be  liable 
to  be  opened  and  searched,  and  penalties  provided  if 
they  were  found  to  contain  improper  matter." 

Nothing  seems  to  have  resulted  from  his  recom- 
mendations, however.  The  inconveniences  of  the 
system  led  to  calling  the  attention  of  Congress 
to  the  matter  again  in  the  Report  of  the  Post- 
master General,  in  1873.  He  says  : 

"In  my  report  for  1869,  I  had  the  honor  to  suggest  a 
plan  for  the  prepayment  of  postage  on  newspapers  and 
other  matter  of  the  second  class  by  weight  of  packages 
rather  than  by  the  present  system,  which  requires  the 
manipulation  of  each  particular  paper,  and  allows  the 
payment  of  postage  at  either  the  mailing  office,  or  the 
office  of  delivery.  A  careful  revision  of  the  subject  con- 


—  215  — 

firms  me  in  the  opinion,  that  the  postage  on  all  such  mat- 
ter should  be  collected  in  advance  at  the  mailing  office. 
*  *  *  No  stamps  are  used  for  the  payment  of  such  pos- 
tage ;  and  the  Department  is  compelled  to  accept  in  full 
satisfaction  whatever  sums  of  money  postmasters  choose 
to  charge  against  themselves.  So  execrably  bad  is  this 
system,  that  postal  officers  of  high  standing  have  estimat- 
ed that  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  postage  properly 
chargeable  on  newspapers  is  accounted  for  and  paid 
over.  Furthermore,  disputes  are  continually  arising,  as 
to  whether  the  sheets  they  transmit,  come  within  the 
meaning  of  the  term  newspapers.  *  *  I  respectfully  sub- 
mit the  following  plan  for  the  prepayment  of  postage  on 
newspapers  of  the  second  class,  and  urge  its  adoption. 
Let  all  publishers,  their  business  managers  or  agents,  be 
required  at  the  beginning  of  every  quarter,  to  state  un- 
der oath  the  number  of  papers  of  a  certain  name,  they 
will  send  by  mail  during  the  quarter,  and  pay  the  post- 
age thereon  in  advance.  On  the  other  hand,  postmast- 
ers to  make  return  of  all  newspapers,  with  partic- 
ulars, mailed  to  regular  subscribers.  No  stamps  would 
be  required.  Every  paper  answering  to  the  description 
would  be  forwarded.  No  manipulation  of  each  paper 
would  be  required,  and  the  saving  to  publishers  in  time 
and  labor,  would,  it  is  thought,  be  greater  than  the 
amount  paid  for  postage,  while  the  saving  to  the  Depart- 
ment, would  justify  a  reduction  of  40  per  cent  in  the 
rates,  on  this  class  of  matter.  Periodicals  to  come 
under  the  same  law." 

The  result  of  the  deliberations  upon  this  sugges- 
tion, was  the  passage  by  Congress  of  the  following 
law: 

XLIII  Congress,  Statute  I,  Chapter  456,  approved  June 
23rd,  1874,  Section  5.  That  on  and  after  the  first  day  of 
January,  1875,  all  newspapers  and  periodical  publica- 


—  216  — 

tions  mailed  from  a  known. office  of  publication  or  news 
agency  and  addressed  to  regular "  subscribers  or  news 
agents  shall  be  charged  the  following  rates : 

On  newspapers  and  periodical  publications  issued 
weekly  and  more  frequently  than  once  a  week,  two 
cents  for  each  pound  or  fraction  thereof,  and  on  those 
issued  less  frequently  than  once  a  week  three  cents  for 
each  pound  or  fraction  thereof,  provided  that  nothing 
in  this  Act  shall  be  held  to  change  or  amend  Section 
99  of  the  Act  entitled :  An  Act  to  Tevise,  consolidate  and 
amend  the  statutes  relating  to  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment, approved  June  8th,  1872. 

SEC.  6.  That  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  January, 
1875,  upon  the  receipt  of  such  newspapers  and  period- 
ical publications  at  the  office  of  mailing,  they  shall  be 
weighed  in  bulk,  and  postage  paid  thereon  by  a  special 
adhesive  stamp ;  to  be  devised  and  furnished  by  the 
Postmaster  General,  which  shall  be  affixed  to  such  mat- 
ter or  to  the  sack  containing  the  same;  or  upon  a  mem- 
orandum of  such  mailing,  or  otherwise  as  the  Postmaster 
General  may  from  time  to  time  provide  by  regulation, 
etc.  etc." 

The  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  also  states 
Nov.  14th  1874,  that  being  confined  to  these  three 
modes  of  collecting  this  postage, 

**It  was  deemed  best  to  recommend  the  adoption  of  the 
system  of  prepayment  by  postage  stamps  'affixed  to  a 
memorandum  of  mailing'  or  in  other  words,  to  a  stub  in 
a  book  retained  by  the  postmaster  at  the  mailing  office; 
a  receipt,  showing  the  weight  of  matter  and  the  amount 
paid,  being  given  by  the  postmaster  to  the  person 
mailing  the  same;  the  stamps  affixed  to  the  stub,  to  be 
cancelled  by  a  cutting  punch,  thus  preventing  their 
reuse.  *  *  *  The  Postmaster  General  having  approved 
the  recommendations,  a  series  of  stamps  have  been  de- 


-217  — 

vised  of  twenty  four  denominations,  by  means  of  which 
any  sum  which  is  a  multiple  of  either  the  two  or  three 
cent  rate,  from  two  cents  to  seventy-two  dollars,  can.  be 
made  by  the  use  of  not  more  than  five  stamps." 

In  the  report  dated  November  15th,  1875,  we 
find  the  following  observations  and  descriptions  of 
this  issue  which  will  further  explain  the  mode  of 
using  them,  which  seems  to  be  little  understood, 
except  by  publishers  and  post  office  officials. 

1  'On  the  first  day  of  January  1875,  the  new  law,  re- 
quiring prepayment  of  postage  by  stamps,  on  all  news- 
papers and  periodicals  sent  from  a  known  office  of  pub- 
lication, to  regular  subscribers  through  the  mails,  went 
into  operation.  The  system  inaugurated  to  carry  the 
law  into  effect,  was  approved  in  October,  1874  and  has 
been  found  by  experience  to  be  admirably  adapted  to  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  devised.  No  complaints  of  a- 
buses  on  the  part  of  publishers  or  postmasters,  have  been 
received  at  this  office  during  the  nine  months,  that  have 
elapsed  since  the  law  went  into  effect.  Indeed,  it  has 
worked  so  well  in  all  its  details,  and  has  given  such  gen- 
eral satisfaction,  that  the  idea  of  returning  to  the  old  sys- 
tem, or  materially  modifying  the  new  one,  ought  not  to 
be  entertained. 

Previous  to  the  time  when  this  law  began  to  operate, 
no  stamps  were  required  for  the  payment  of  postage  on 
newspapers  sent  to  regular  subscribers,  as  the  postage 
was  collected  in  money  quarterly,  at  the  office  of  delivery. 
Last  year  there  were  35,000  post  offices  at  which  news- 
paper postage  was  collected,  while  under  the  present 
true  system  of  the  absolute  prepayment  of  all  postage, 
the  whole  amount  is  collected  at  about  3,400  offices,  the 
latter  representing  the  number  of  places  in  the  United 
States  at  which  newspapers  and  periodicals  are  mailed. 

The  papers  for  subscribers  living  outside  of  the  coun- 


—  218  — 

ty  in  which  they  are  published,  are  made  up  in  bulk  at 
the  publication  office,  carried  to  the  post  office  and  there 
weighed.  The  postage  is  computed  on  the  whole  issue, 
the  proper  amount  in  stamps  handed  to  the  postmaster, 
who  gives  the  publisher  a  receipt  as  evidence  of  payment, 
and  on  the  stubs  of  the  receipt  book  he  affixes  and  can- 
cels the  stamps  which  correspond  in  value,  with  the 
sum  mentioned  in  the  receipt.  Thus  one  transaction  is 
all  that  is  required  in  paying  the  postage  upon  a  single 
issue  of  any  regular  publication.  The  stubs  with  their 
cancelled  stamps,  are  kept  in  the  post  office  as  vouchers 
for  the  postage  paid.  In  no  case  are  the  stamps  affixed 
to  the  papers  or  packages  that  pass  through  the  mails. 

These  stamps  are  twenty-four  in  number  and  were  pre- 
pared by  the  Continental  Bank  Note  Company,  of  New 
York,  from  designs  selected  in  October,  1874."  Else- 
where it  is  stated  that  the  distribution  to  postmasters 
began  December  llth,  1874.  "The  denominations 
are  as  follows,  viz :  2  cents,  3  cents,  4  cents  6  cents, 
8  cents,  9  cents,  10  cents,  12  cents,  24  cents,  36 
cents,  48  cents,  60  cents,  72  cents,  84  cents,  96  cents,  $1,92 
cents,  $3,  $6,  $9,  $12,  $24,  $36,  $48  and  $60.  These 
denominations  were  found  to  be  necessary,  in  order  that 
payment  might  be  made  on  any  given  quantity  from  one 
pound  to  one  ton,  at  both  the  two  and  three  cent  rate, 
with  the  use  of  not  to  exceed  live  stamps  in  any  trans- 
action. 

No  description  of  these  stamps  having  been  given  in 
any  official  form,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  presenting  here- 
with a  detailed  description  of  them,  in  order  that  it  may 
be  printed,  and  be  permanently  preserved  in  the  records 
of  the  department." 

Two  CENTS  TO  TEN  CENTS,  inclusive,  emblemati- 
cal figure  of  America,  looking  to  the  right  and  mod- 
eled after  Crawford's  statue  surmounting  the  dome 
of  the-  capitol.  The  left  hand  rests  on  a  shield, 


—  219  — 

and  holds  a  wreath ;  the  right  rests  on  a  sword. 
The  head  is  adorned  with  a  head  dress  consisting 
of  a  coronet  of  stars,  surmounted  by  an  eagle's 
head  and  plumes.  The  background  is  horizontally 
lined  and  in  parts  diagonally  also.  The  vignette 
stands  in  an  arched  frame,  composed  of  vertical 
lines  ;  and  on  either  side  of  this  frame,  and  at  the 
top  are  slabs  containing  the  inscriptions  (the  upper 
in  colored  letters  on  horizontally  lined  ground,  the 
others  in  colorless  block  capitals,  the  sides  upon 
vertically  lined  ground),  ' ' Newspapers"  and  "Per- 
iodicals" (at  the  sides),  ltU.  S.  Postage"  (at  top). 
At  the  bottom  are  shaded  outline  block  letters,  re- 
presenting the  value,  which  is  also  indicated  by 
large  outlined  figures  shaded  on  the  face,  in  the 
upper  corners,  on  foliated  scrolls.  The  lower  cor- 
ners are  ornamented  with  shields.  The  color  of 
these  stamps  is  black. 

TWELVE  CENTS  TO  NINETY-SIX  CENTS,  inclusive. 
Vignette  of  Astraea  or  Justice,  in  niche,  bordered 
by  a  colorless  line  curved  at  the  top,  holding  in  her 
right  hand  the  balance,  and  resting  with  her  left  on 
a  shield  bearing  the  United  States  coat  of  arms. 
The  figure  is  full  robed,  mailed  and  girdled  as  to  the 
upper  part  and  helmeted.  Surmounting  the  helmet 
is  an  eagle  with  out-stretched  wings  on  a  background 
horizontically  and  diagonally  lined.  Figures  repre- 
senting values  in  shaded  numerals  on  shields,  in 
the  upper  corners  ;  values  also  in  sunken  letters  be- 
low, on  solid  labels  bordered  by  a  colorless  and  col- 
ored line, richly  ornamented.  Inscriptions, tlNewspa- 


—  220  — 

pers"  " Periodicals,"  on  side  and  at  top  in  shaded 
outlined  capitals  on  vertically  lined  ground.  Color, 
pink. 

ONE  DOLLAR  AND  NINTY-TWO  CENTS.  Vignette 
of  Ceres,  Goddess  of  Agriculture,  in  curved  niche, 
bordered  by  a  colorless  line  and  a  vertically  lined 
frame.  She  holds  in  her  left  hand  an  ear  of  corn, 
her  right  holding  a  wreath,  rests  against  the  hip. 
The  figure  faced  to  the  front  and  is  clad  in  full 
flowing  robes.  "C7.  S.  Postage"  at  the  top,  other 
inscriptions,  "Newspapers,"  ^Periodicals,"  in  italic 
capitals  shaded  on  the  face  and  outside,  on  obel- 
isks at  either  side,  resting  on  the  lower  slab,  which 
is  in  solid  color,  containing  value,  ^One  dollar 
and  ninety-two  cents,"  in  two  lines  of  white  capitals. 
Value  also  in  figures,  $lj9^27F  in  upper  corners.  Col- 
or, deep  brown. 

THREE  DOLLARS.  Goddess  of  Victory  in  curved 
niche,  full-robed,  girdled  with  sword  to  the  left, 
and  mantle  thrown  over  shoulders.  The  right  hand 
is  stretched  forward,  holding  a  wreath  ;  the  left  rests 
on  a  shield.  Outline  figures  of  value,  l-$3"  on  octa- 
gons in  upper  corners,  value  below  in  letters  on 
either  side  of  a  large  outline  figure  "-3"  on  a  shield. 
Inscriptions,  " Newspapers,"  ^Periodicals,"  in  col- 
orless capitals,  in  solid  labels  on  either  side,  and 
"C7.  S.  Postage"  on  lined  ground  above.  The 
niche  and  labels  are  all  edged  with  colorless  lines. 
The  background  is  vertically  lined.  Color,  ver- 
milion. 

Six  DOLLARS.    Clio,  the  Muse  of  History  in  curved 


—  221    - 

niche,  bordered  by  colorless  line,  on  horizontally 
lined  ground,  full  robed  the  toga  thrown  over  the 
left  shoulder.  In  her  right  hand  she  holds  a  stylus, 
in  the  left  a  tablet.  Outline  colorless  figures  of 
value,  "$6"  in  upper  corners,  surrounded  by  curved 
ornaments.  Inscriptions,  " Newspapers,"  ^Periodi- 
cals," in  white  shaded  letters  on  the  sides,  and 
above  "U.  S.  Postage"  in  dark  letters,  value,  "Six 
Dollars"  in  outline  colorless  letters  in  label,  on  ver- 
tically lined  ground.  Color,  light  blue. 

NINE  DOLLARS,  Minerva,  the  Goddess  of  Wis- 
dom, full  robed,  in  curved  niche,  bordered  by  a 
colorless  line  with  horizontally  and  diagonally  lined 
ground.  The  left  hand  is  placed  across  her  breast, 
holding  a  portion  of  her  toga ;  the  right  is  grasping 
a  spear.  Figures  of  value  "$#"  in  upper  corners, 
in  foliated  ornaments.  Inscriptions,  "Newspapers," 
"Periodicals,"  on  sides  in  outline  colorless  and 
shaded  italics,  and  above  in  small  colored  letters, 
on  the  lined  ground,  "  U.  S.  Postage."  Value, "Nine 
Dollars,"  also  in  letters  shaded  on  the  face,  below 
on  scroll.  Beneath  is  a  large  "9"  in  curved  foli- 
ated ornaments.  Color,  orange. 

TWELVE  DOLLARS.  Vesta,  Goddess  of  the  Fire- 
side, full  robed  in  curved  niche,  with  horizontally 
lined  ground,  and  bordered  by  a  colorless  line.  The 
left  hand  lifts  her  drapery ;  the  right  holds  a  burn- 
ing lamp,  Figures  of  value,  "$12"  in  upper  corners 
on  tablets.  Value,  "  Twelve  Dollars"  also  in  color- 
less letters  on  beaded  frame  beneath.  Inscriptions, 
" Newspapers,"  "Periodicals,"  on  solid  (sic),  italic 


—  222  — 

letters  on  sides,  and  "U.S.  Postage"  in  small  white 
letters  above.  Frame  of  vertical  lines.  Color,  rich 
green. 

TWENTY-FOUR  DOLLARS. Goddess  of  Peace  in  curved 
niche,  bordered  by  a  colorless  line,  and  on  horizon- 
tally lined  ground,  a  half  naked  figure  leaning 
against  a  broken  column.  She  holds  in  her  right  hand 
an  olive  branch,  while  her  left  grasps  three  arrows. 
The  value,  "Twenty-four  Dollars"  is  in  colorless 
letters  beneath,  on  a  solid  tablet ;  also  in  figures 
"$24"  in  ornamented  curves  in  upper  corners.  In- 
scriptions, "U.  S.  Postage"  in  white  shaded  letters 
above,  and  "Newspapers,"  "Periodicals"  on  the 
sides  between  which  latter  and  each  upper  corner 
is  a  sixpointed  star.  The  back  ground  is  vertical- 
ly lined.  The  ornaments  bordered  by  a  colorless 
line.  Color,  purplish  shade. 

THIRTY-SIX  DOLLARS.  Figure  representing  Com- 
merce, in  full  garments,  in  curved  niche,  bordered 
by  a  colorless  line  with  hatched  background.  She 
holds  in  her  left  hand  the  caducens,  the  winged  rod 
of  Mercu~y,  in  her  right  a  miniature  ship.  Figures 
of  value,  "$36"  in  the  upper  corners  and  "Thirty-six 
Dollars"  in  ornamented  capitals  below,  in  two  lines. 
Inscriptions,  " Newspapers,"  "Periodicals,"  also 
in  ornamented  capitals  on  sides  and  "U.  S>  Post- 
age" in  colorless  capitals  above.  The  frame  is 
vertically  lined.  Color,  dull  red. 

FORTY-EIGHT  DOLLARS.  Hebe,  the  Goddess  of 
Youth,  partly  draped  in  curved  niche  with  colorless 
border  and  horizontally  lined  ground.  The  right 


—  223  — 

hand  bolds  a  cup,  which  she  is  offering  to  the  eagle 
around  whose  neck  is  thrown  her  left  arm.  Shaded 
figures  of  value,  "$48"  on  shields  in  the  upper  cor- 
ners, the  word  '•'-Postage"  between  in  colorless  capi- 
tals on  solid  label.  The  value,  "Forty-eight  Dollars1' 
also  in  colorless  letters  below  on  solid  ground,  in 
curved  ornaments.  The  letters  tlU."  and  "S."  in 
colorless  circles  between  the  corners  and  side  in- 
scriptions, " Newspapers ,"  "Periodicals,"  the  lat- 
ter being  in  colorless  letters  on  solid  curved  labels. 
Frame  vertically  lined.  Color,  light  brown, 

SIXTY  DOLLARS.  Vignette  of  an  Indian  Maiden, 
standing  in  a  rectangular  frame.  She  is  robed 
from  her  waist  downward.  Her  right  arm  is  ex- 
tended, while  her  left  hangs  by  her  side.  The 
background  is  a  landscape.  Trees  and  vines  to  the 
left,  and  wigwams  to  the  right  in  the  distance,  bor- 
dered by  a  colorless  line  between  fine  colored  lines. 
Figures  of  value,  "$W  on  shields  in  the  upper 
corners.  Value,  ^  Sixty  Dollars"  also  in  white  let- 
ters on  solid  tablets  below.  Inscriptions,  tlNe-ws- 
papers,"  ^Periodicals,"  in  white  on  solid  labels  on 
the  sides.  liU.  S."  in  colorless  capitals  on  the 
ground,  and  " Postage"  on  a  band  in  colored  letters 
above.  Ground  vertically  lined.  Color,  rich  pur- 
ple. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 
Office  of  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 
Division  of  Postage  Stamps,  Stamped  Env.  &  Post  Cards. 

Washington  D.  C.,  April  25,  1879. 
The  attention  of  Postmasters  is  hereby  called  to  the 


—  224  — 

fact,  that  on  and  after  the  first  of  May  proximo,  under 
the  act  of  March  3d,  1879,  matter  of  the  second  class, 
commonly  known  as  newspaper  and  periodical  matter, 
will  be  entitled  to  pass  through  the  mail,  at  a  uniform 
rate  of  2  cents  per  pound.  Care  will  betaken  not  to  col- 
lect payment  on  such  matter,  at  'more  than  that  rate. 
The  same  general  regulations  concerning  the  collection 
of  newspaper  postage,  as  -have  been  heretofore  promul- 
gated will  remain  in  force,  and  the  same  books  and  blanks 
together  with  the  newspaper  and  periodical  stamps, 
that  are  now  outstanding  will  continue  to  be  used.  In 
future,  however,  the  issue  of  the  three  and  nine  cents 
denominations  of  newspaper  and  periodical  stamps,  will 
be  discontinued.  *  *  *  * 

A.  D.  HAZEN, 
Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

Act  of  the  XLV  Congress,  Session  III,  Chapter 
180,  approved  March  3rd,  1879.  Sections  10  and 
14  merely  change  the  classification  to  a  uniform 
one  at  the  rate  of  two  cents  per  pound. 

The  Act  of  the  XL VI II  Congress,  Session  II, 
Chapter  342,  approved  March  3rd,  1885,  provides 
as  stated  in  Order  No.  109  of  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral, dated  April  24th,  1885,  "That  all  publications 
of  the  second  classs,  *  *  *  shall  on  and  after  July 
1st,  1885,  be  entitled  to  transmission  through  the 
mails  at  one  cent  a  pound  or  fraction  thereof.  *  *  * 
To  provide  for  wants  that  may  arise  from  this 
change  in  the  rate  of  second  class  postage,  the  De- 
partment has  decided  to  issue  a  newspaper  and  per- 
iodical stamp  of  the  denomination  of  one  cent,  the 
design  and  color  of  which  will  be  the  same  as  those 
of  the  present  series  of  newspaper  and  periodical 


—  225  — 

stamps  of  the  denomination  of  from  2  to  10  cents. 
Stamps  of  this  new  denomination  will  be  ready  for 
issue  "by  the  1st  of  June,  after  which  all  postmast- 
ers needing  them  will  make  requisition  for  suitable 
supplies." 

NEWSPAPER  AND  PERIODICAL  STAMPS. 
SERIES  OF  1875 — 1885, 

Plate   impression,    24  by  35 £  mm.,   in   color   on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 
June  1st,  1885,  1  cent,    black, 
Jan,   1st,  1875,  3  cents,     "       to  April  25th,  1879. 

q        u  u  "  tt  tt 

o        «  u       • 

4.        "  '< 

6  "  " 

8  "          " 

10  "          " 

12  "      carmine, 

24  "  " 

36  "  u 

48  " 

60  "  " 

72  " 

84  " 

96  a  " 

1  dollar    92  "     deep  brown 
3  dollars  vermilion 

6     •"  light  blue 

9      u  orange 


—  226  — 

12  dollars  rich  green 

24      u  purplish  slate 

36      "  dull  red 

48      u  light  brown 

60      "  rich  purple 

These  stamps  were  not  reprinted  in  1874,  but 
samples  ungummed  and  surcharged  "specimen" 
were  sold  to  collectors. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

A  slight  change  in  the  regulations  now  prohibits 
postmasters  from  selling  these  stamps  even  to  pub- 
lishers but  the  money  is  received  and  the  requisite 
amount  in  stamps  placed  upon  the  stubs  and  can- 
celled. The  amount  sold  and  the  amount  used  in 
an  office  should  now  correspond.  The  stubs  are 
sent  periodically  to  Washington  with  the  accounts, 
compared  and  destroyed.  Used  specimens  and 
even  unused  specimens  are  likely  to  grow  rare  in 
collections. 


XXVII. 

OFFICIAL  STAMPS. 

A  thorough  understanding  of  the  use  of  these 
stamps  will  best  be  obtained  by  a  brief  reveiw  of 
the  system  it  for  a  time  supplanted,  which  was 
briefly  designated  as  the  "Franking  Privilege." 
As  early  as  the  1st  Session  of  the  Second  Congress 
the  necessity  and  propriety  of  providing  for  the 
carriage  of  official  correspondence  and  the  corres- 
pondence of  Government  officers  and  Members  of 
Congress  upon  public  business  was  recognized, 
and  Chapter  7,  Section  19,  approved  February  1st, 
1792,  of  the  Acts  of  that  Sessions  provided: 

"  That  the  following  letters  and  packets  and  no  others 
shall  be  received  and  conveyed  by  post,  free  of  postage 
under  such  restrictions  as  are  hereinafter  provided,  that 
is  to  say :  all  letters  and  packages  to  or  from  the  President 
or  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  and  all  letters 
and  packages  not  exceeding  2  ounces  in  weight,  to  or 
from  any  member  of  the  Senate  or  House  of  Representa- 
tives, the  Secretary  of  the  Senate,  or  Clerk  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  during  their  actual  attendance  in  any 
session  of  Congress,  and  twenty  days  after  such  session, 
all  letters  to  and  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and 


—  228  — 

his  assistant;  Comptroller,  Register  and  Auditor  of  the 
Treasury,  Treasurer,  Secretary  of  State,  Secretary  of 
War,  the  Committee  for  settling  accounts  between  the 
United  States  and  individual  States,  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral and  his  assistant.  Provided  that  no  person  shall 
frank  or  enclose  any  letter  or  packet  other  than  his  own, 
but  any  public  letter  or  packet  from  the  department  of 
the  Treasuay  may  be  franked  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,or  the  assistant  Secretary, or  by  the  Comptroller, 
Register,  Auditor  or  Treasurer,  and  that  each  person  be- 
fore named  shall  deliver  to  the  post  office,  every  letter  or 
packet  enclosed  to  him,  which  may  be  directed  to  any 
other  person,  noting  the  place  from  whence  it  comes  by 
post,  and  the  usual  postage  shall  be  charged  thereon." 

By  various  acts  of  Congress  this  privilege 
was  gradually  extended  to  various  persons  in 
the  employ  of  the  Government  until,  in  1869,  the 
Postmaster  General  stated  in  his  report  that  fully 
31,933  persons  were  authorized  by  the  laws  to  en- 
joy this  privilege. 

As  early  as  1836,  Congress  appropriated  the  sum 
of  $700,000  to  pay  the  post  office  department  for 
this  carriage  of  official  correspondence.  The 
abuses  became  enormous.  Signatures  with  hand 
stamps  were  even  recognized.  All  sorts  of  favors 
were  extended  by  persons  having  the  privilege,  to 
their  friends.  In  1869  the  annual  expense  to  the 
department  of  this  free  matter  was  estimated  at 
$5,000,000.  To  remedy  this  abuse,  which  had  the 
effect  of  preventing^  proper  reduction  of  postal 
rates  to  the  general  public,  as  the  expenses  of  the 
Department,  including  the  expense  of  carrying  offi- 
cial matter  so-called,  greatly  exceeded  its  annual 


—  220  — 

revenue,  there  was  but  one  remedy — the  passage 
of  an  act  abolishing  the  franking  privilege  and  pro- 
viding by  appropriation  for  carrying  the  accessary 
government  dispatches.  The  Act  of  the  XLII 
Congress,  Session  III,  Chapter  82,  approved  the 
27th  of  January,  1873,  accordingly  provided 

"  That  the  franking  privilege  be  hereby  abol- 
ished from  and  after  the  first  day  of  July,  Ano  Domini 
1S73,  and  that  henceforth  all  official  correspondence  of 
whatever  nature,  and  other  mailable  matter  sent  from 
or  addressed  to  any  officer  of  the  government  or  per- 
son now  authorized  to  frank  such  matter,  shall  be 
chargeable  with  the  same  rates  of  postage  as  may  be 
lawfully  imposed  upon  like  matter  sent  by,  or  addressed 
to  other  persons.  Provided  that  no  compensation  or 
allowance  shall  be  now  or  hereafter  made  to  Senators 
or  Members  and  Delegates  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives on  account  of  postage." 

The  Act  of  the  XLII  Congress,  Session  III, 
Chapter  228,  approved  March  3,  1873,  after  appro- 
priating so  much  as  should  be  necessary  of  a  cer- 
tain sum  for  the  purchase  of  postage  stamps  for 
each  department,  continues. 

"That  the  Postmaster  General  shall  cause  to  be  pre- 
pared a  special  stamp  or  stamped  envelope  to  be  used 
only  for  official  mail  matter  for  each  of  the  executive 
departments,  and  said  stamp  and  stamped  envelope 
shall  be  supplied  by  proper  officer  of  said  departments 
to  all  persons  under  its  direction  requiring  the  same  for 
official  use,  and  all  appropriations  for  postage  heretofore 
made  shall  no  longer  be  available  for  said  purpose,  and 
all  said  stamps  and  stamped  envelopes  shall  be  sold  or 
furnished  to  said  several  departments  or  clerks  only  at 


—  230  — 


the  price  for  which   stamps   and  stamped  envelopes  of 
like  value  are  sold  at  the  several  post  offices." 

In  the  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1873,  it  is  stated  that 

"The  several  Acts  for  the  repeal  of  the  franking  priv- 
ilege became  operative  on  the  first  of  July  last.  The 
results  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  current  year  are  highly 
satisfactory  and  more  fully  verified  the  predictions  of 
the  friends  of  the  repeal.  *  *  *  Section  4  of  the  Act  of 
March  3rd,  1873,  making  it  the  duty  of  the  Postmaster 
General  to  provide  official  stamps  and  stamped  envel- 
opes for  the  several  Executive  Departments,  has  been 
strictly  complied  with.  The  stamps  and  envelopes  furn- 
ished have  been  executed  in  the  highest  style  of  art  and 
will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any  other  country. 
From  July  1st  to  September  30th  of  the  current  year  the 
following  varieties,  numbers  and  values  were  issued: 

To  whom  issued.        D'm 
The  Executive  Dep't 
The  State  Dep't 
The  Treasury  Dep't 
The  War  Dep't 
The  Navy  Dep't 
The  Post  Office  Dep't 
The  Interior  Dep't 
The  Dep't  of  Justice 
The  Dep't  of  Agriculture, 

Making  a  total  of 


lat'n. 

Number. 

Value. 

5 

5,150 

200.00 

14 

60,495 

20,749.70 

11 

7,842,500 

407,000.00 

11 

446,500 

17,689.00 

11 

247,230 

12,239.00 

10 

10,054,660 

354,535.00 

10 

1,058,475 

59,171,00 

10 

65,400 

3,900.00 

9 

275,000 

20,730,00 

91      20,055,410      896,213.70 


The  stamps  for  the  Departments  other  than  the  Post 
Office  do  not  differ  materially  from  those  for  sale  to  the 
public  except  that  each  Department  has  its  own  distinc- 
tive color  and  legend.  The  colors  are:  For  the  Ex- 
ecutive, carmine;  State  Department,  green;  Treasury, 


—  231  — 

velvet-brown ;  War,  cochineal  red ;  Navy,  blue ;  Post 
Office,  black;  Interior,  vermilion;  Department  of  Jus- 
tice, purple;  and  Department  of  Agriculture,  straw 
color. 

In  the  stamps  for  the  Post  Office  Department  the 
medallion  head  gives  place  to  a  numeral  representing 
the  value  with  the  words  "Post  Office  Department" 
above  and  the  denomination  expressed  in  words  below. 
All  the  official  stamps  correspond  in  denomination  with 
those  issued  for  the  public,  except  in  the  case  of  the 
State  Department,  for  which  four  of  higher  value  were 
made  for  dispatch  bags.  These  four  are  of  the  deno- 
minations of  $2,  $5,  $10,  and  $20,  respectively,  are  of 
large  size  and  printed  in  two  colors,  and  bear  a  profile 
bust  of  the  late  Secretary  Seward." 

Elsewhere  the  Postmaster  General  states  that  the 
stamps  were  ready  the  24th  of  May,  for  use  the  1st 
of  July,  1873.  The  following  circular  was  accord- 
ingly issued  to  postmasters. 

OFFICIAL  POSTAGE  STAMPS  AND  STAMPED  ENVELOPES. 
[  Circular  to  postmasters.] 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Office  of  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 
Division  of  Postage  Stamps,  Stamped  Env.  &  Post  Cards. 

Washington,  D.  <?.,  May  15th,  1873. 
The  Franking  Privilege  having  been  abolished,  to 
take  effect  on  the  first  day  of  July,  1873,  the  Postmaster 
General  is  required  by  law  to  provide  postage  stamps 
or  stamped  envelopes  of  special  design  for  each  of  the 
several  Executive  Departments  of  the  Government  for 
the  prepayment  of  postage  on  official  matter  passing 
through  the  mails. 

DESCRIPTION. 

In  place  of  the  heads  on  the  regular  stamps,  the  offi- 
cial stamps  adopted  for  the  Post  Office  Department  have 


—  232  — 

conspicuous  figures  (numerals)  to  represent  the  denom- 
ination, with  the  word  "Official"  above,  and  the  word 
"Stamp"  below. 

'These  printed  in  black,  and  resting  on  an  oval  shaped 
background,  render  the  stamps  especially  distinctive, 
and  leave  no  good  excuse  for  confounding  them  with 
the  other  stamps.  To  further  distinguish  them,  the 
name  of  the  Department  is  printed  across  the  top  in  lieu 
of  the  words  "U.  S.  Postage.-'  There  is  also  a  slight 
difference  in  the  ornamentation  of  the  border. 

In  design,  the  official  stamps  for  the  other  Depart- 
ments do  not  differ  materially  from  those  issued  for  sale 
to  the  public,  the  profile  busts  are  retained  but  each 
stamp  has  at  the  top  the  name  of  the  particular  Depart- 
ment for  which  it  is  provided.  Other  changes  appear- 
ing in  the  border  need  not  be  specified. 

The  stamps  for  each  Department  have  their  own  dis- 
tinctive color,  as  follows:  For  the  Executive,  carmine; 
State  Department,  green ;  Treasury  Department, velvet- 
brown  ;  War  Department,  chocineal  red ;  Navy  Depart- 
ment, blue;  Interior  Department,  vermilion;  Depart- 
ment of  Justice,  purple ;  Department  of  Agriculture, 
straw ;  and  for  the  Post  Office  Department,  black. 

The  official  stamps  will  correspond  in  denomination 
with  the  regular  stamps  except  that  for  the  State  De- 
partment there  will  be  four  addional  denominations, 
viz:  two,  five,  ten  and  twenty  dollars  respectively. 
These  additional  stamps  are  designed  from  a  profile 
bust  of  the  late  Hon.  William  H,  Seward,  and  are  of 
double  size  and  printed  in  two  colors. 

OFFICIAL  STAMPS  FOR  POSTMASTERS. 
Postmasters  at  all  offices  will  be  furnished  with  the 
official  stamps  of  this  Department  in  suitable  denomin- 
ations and  amounts  as  far  as  they  can  be  supplied.  The 
Department  will  excercise  its  own  discretion  in  filling 
requisitions,  and  will  send  only  in  such  denominations 


—  233  — 

and  amounts,  as  the  needs  of  an  office  may  seem  to  re- 
quire. The  less  important  offices,  say  those  at  which 
the  money  order  system  has  not  been  established,  will 
need  only  three  cent  stamps,  but  comparatively  few  of- 
fices will  require  stamps  above  the  denomination  of  six 
cents.  The  higher  denominations  will  be  supplied  to  a 
few  of  the  larger  offices  only.  Postmasters  will  combine 
stamps  of  the  most  convenient  denominations  at  hand 
to  meet  emergencies  for  which  they  may  have  no  single 
stamp  exactly  filling  the  rate  required," 

******* 

EDWARD  W.  BARBER, 

Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

ISSUE  OF  July  1st,   1873, 

The  several  denominations  for  all  the  departments 
have  certain  characteristics  that  are  common  to  all 
stamps  of  that  value,  which  may  as  well  be  stated 
once  for  all,  to  avoid  repetition. 

With  the  exception  of  those  of  the  post  office 
department,  the  head  is  the  same  as  that  on  the  or- 
dinary stamp  of  the  same  value  then  current. 

The  value  is  expressed  in  numerals  and  words 
beneath  the  oval  in  the  same  numerals,  letters  and 
scrolls  as  on  the  ordinary  stamps  of  the  same  value, 
except  that  in  those  for  the  Post  Office  Department 
the  numerals  in  the  1,  12  and  30  cents  and  the  let- 
ters in  all  are  a  trifle  smaller. 

The  ONE  CENT  has  the  head  of  Franklin  in  an  oval 
as  described,  the  large  "7"  dividing  "One  Cent" 
on  a  band  bordered  by  heavy  white  lines  as 
described,  but  the  ornament  across  the  ends  is 
omitted  except  in  that  for  the  Executive  and  Agri- 


—  234  — 

culture,  and  is  lessened  in  that  for  the  Interior. 

The  Two  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Jackson  as 
described,  the  large  numeral  "2"  dividing  ilTwo 
Cents"  upon  a  scroll  with  white  border  as  described, 
the  ends  of  the  scroll  are,  however,  differently  ar- 
ranged to  accommodate  parts  of  the  design. 

The  THREE  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Washington  as 
described,  the  large  "3"  dividing  the  words 
"Three  Cents"  upon  a  scroll  as  described. 

The  Six  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Lincoln,  the  large 
"6"  dividing  the  words  "Six  Cents"  upon  a  scroll 
with  colorless  borders  as  described. 

The  SEVEN  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Stanton,  the 
large  "7"  dividing  the  words  "Seven  Cents"  upon 
a  label  following  the  oval  and  bordered  by  the  white 
line  between  two  colored  lines  and  ending  in  a 
curve  and  ball  as  described. 

The  TEN  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Jefferson,  the 
large  Ii10"  dividing  the  words  "Ten  Cents"  upon 
a  colorless  bordered  scroll  as  described. 

The  TWELVE  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Cla}^,  the 
large  numerals  "72"  dividing  the  words  "  Twelve 
Cents"  in  block  letters  following  the  oval  bounded 
by  the  white  line  between  two  colored  lines  and 
curved  back  as  described. 

The  FIFTEEN  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Webster,  the 
large  numerals  Li15"  dividing  the  words  " Fifteen 
Cents"  upon  a  label  bordered  as  described. 

The  TWENTY-FOUR  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Scott, 
no  numerals  below,  the  words  il  Twenty-four"  and 
"Cents"  upon  two  labels  and  iji  block  letters  as 


—  235  — 

described.  In  that  for  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture the  upper  label  is  changed  into  a  scroll  with 
large  ends  curved  backwards,  then  forwards  and 
then  downwards. 

The  THIRTY  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Hamilton, 
the  large  numerals  "30"  on  the  shield  dividing  the 
words  "Thirty  Cents"  in  colored  letters  on  the 
scroll  as  described. 

The  NINETY  CENTS  has  the  head  of  Perry,  the 
large  numerals  "90"  dividing  the  words  "Ninety 
Cents"  in  block  letters  on  a  label  bordered  as  de- 
scribed, but  the  ends  have  a  small  curve  inward 
in  those  for  the  Post  Office  Department,  are  square 
in  those  for  the  Interior  and  Navy  Departments, 
are  curved  inwards  in  that  for  the  War  Depart- 
ment, are  terminated  by  curves  forming  a  point  in 
that  for  the  Department  of  Justice,  and  are  square 
with  a  projecting  small  half  circle  in  those  for  the 
Treasury  and  State  Departments. 
EXECUTIVE. 

The  oval  containing  the  bust,  the  scroll  or  label 
and  numeral  are  all  placed  upon  a  back-ground  of 
vertical  parallel  lines  so  disposed  as  to  produce  the 
stripes  of  the  shield  or  flag.  Above  and  following 
the  oval  a  solid  colored  label  inscribed  in  colorless 
capitals,  " Executive,"  and  bounded  by  a  white 
and  exterior  colored  line  terminating  in  a  foliated 
ornament  against  the  oval ;  foliated  ornaments  in 
the  corners  forming  small  white  circles  enclosing 
"U."  and  "$."  on  rectangularly  hatched  disks. 

Plate  Impression  19 £  by  25  mm.  in  color  on  white 


—  236  — 

paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent   carmine,    6,800  issued. 

2  cents         "          9,100 

3  "  "        23,500         " 
6     "            "          5,500         " 

10     "  "          5,150         " 

DEPARTMENT   OF  STATE. 

The  oval  containing  the  bust,  the  scroll  or  label 
and  numeral  are  all  placed  upon  a  ground  of  par- 
allel vertical  lines.  At  the  top  these  are  crossed 
by  horizontal  lines  at  about  1  mm.  from  the  edge 
over  a  space  of  equal  width,  so  as  to  form  a  darker 
band  and  thus  form  a  double  frame  half  way  down 
where  the  darker  frame  terminates  on  each  side  in  a 
round  ball,  except  in  the  12  cents,  which  has  the 
dark  frame  all  the  way  round.  In  the  values  with 
scrolls  "C7"  on  the  left,  "S"  on  the  right  above  the 
ends  of  the  scrolls  in  large  white  letters  shaded 
outside.  In  the  values  with  labels  the  same  letters 
in  the  corners  below  the  ends  of  the  labels,  also 
colorless,  except  in  the  15  cents,  in  which  they  are 
crossed  by  parallel  horizontal  lines.  Above  the 
ovals  liDep't  of  State,"  in  similar  capitals,  large  at 
the  sides  and  gradually  decreasing  towards  the 
center.  Above  these  a  fine  curved  colorless  line 
between  colored  lines,  the  lower  heavily  shaded  ; 
beneath  the  letters  a  white  ornament  terminating  on 
each  side  in  a  fleur  de  lis,  and  shaded  by  colored 
lines. 

Plate  impression  19 £  by  25  mm.,  in  color,   on 


—  237  — 

white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent  green,    31,800  issued. 

2  cents  green,    41,800        " 

3  "  109,200        " 

6  82,100        " 

7  37,800        " 
10  64,900 

12  "  20,800        " 

15  "  22,800 

24  "  13,800 

30  "  20,100 

90  "  6,043 

To  these  are  added  the  four  higher  values  of  larger 
size.  These  have  a  large  profile  head  of  Wm. 
H.  Seward,  facing  to  the  left,  on  a  hatched  ground 
forming  an  oval  disk,  with  a  ground  of  fine  par- 
allel lines  all  printed  in  black.  The  lines  are 
arranged  to  form  a  panelled  triangle  in  the  upper 
corners,  the  lines  being  horizontal  and  light  in  the 
borders  and  thickened  to  form  the  darker  panels 
which  contain  a  foliated  ornament.  On  a  broad 
colorless,  curved  label,  with  rounded  ends,  ^De- 
partment of"  in  outline  Roman  capitals  shaded  at 
top  by  curved  parallel  colored  lines,  a  series  of 
curved  parallel  colored  lines  filling  the  lower  part 
of  the  label.  Beneath  this,  in  outlined  pearled 
capitals,  following  the  label  and  shaded  outside, 
"State."  At  the  sides  bunches  of  rods  tied  above 
and  below  with  crossed  bands  with  "£7.  S.  A."  in 
colorless  letters  below  each.  Across  the  bottom  a 
hatched  label  with  colorless  borders  inscribed  in 
colorless  letters  shaded  outside  with  the  value. 


-  238  — 

Plate  impression  25  by  39  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

Two  dollars,  black  and  green,  3,508  issued. 

Five         "  ;t                  "           363       " 

Ten          "  "                  "           363       " 

Twenty   "  363       " 

TREASURY  DEPARTMENT. 

The  oval  containing  the  portraits,  the  scrolls  or 
labels  and  large  numerals  are  placed  on  a  back- 
ground of  vertical  parallel  lines  arranged  to  form  a 
drapery  with  fringes,  cords  and  tassels,  and  a 
panel  similar  to  the  State  Department  stamps.  At 
the  top  a  label  indicated  by  a  colorless  line  curved 
up  at  the  ends  and  terminating  above  in  foliated 
ornaments,  is  inscribed  "Treasury"  in  the  same 
letters  as  the  other  official  stamps  with  "C7.  S." 
beneath  the  left  end  and  liDept."  beneath  the 
right  end. 

Plate  impression  19 J  by  25  mm,,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent   velvet-brown,    2,900,000  issued. 

2  cents  '*  2,484,500       " 

3  "  "  11,250,000       " 

6  "  "  4,105,000  " 

7  "  "  220,000  " 
10  "  "  1,291,500  " 
12  "  "  783,000 

15  "  "  663,000 

24  "  "  .  100,000       " 

30  •'  "  456,500 

90  "  "  312,500       " 


—  239  — 

The  shades  of   these  stamps  vary  somewhat  in 
depth,  some  specimens  having  a  spotted  appear- 
ance as  if  the  ink  did  not  work  well. 
WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

The  oval  containing  the  bust,  the  scrolls  or  labels 
and  numerals  are  placed  on  a  back  ground  of 
parallel  vertical  lines  above  and  below,  horizontal 
on  the  sides.  In  the  upper  corners  "C7."  on  the 
left,  "#."  on  the  right.  A  curved  solid  label  bor- 
dered by  a  cord,  cuts  off  the  upper  corners  and 
is  inscribed  on  the  left  tlWar"  on  right  "Dept." 
in  the  usual  capitals.  The  lines  of  the  sides 
are  arranged  to  show  the  stripes  of  the  flag.  A 
shield  on  each  side  above  the  scrolls  or  beneath 
the  labels. 

Plate  impression  19£  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent   cochineal  red,  3,301.230  issued. 

2  cents  1,867,160        " 

3  "  "  5,393,137        " 

6  "  3,584,813 

7  "  -55,728        " 
10     "                   "                 342,152 

12     "                   "  792,070        " 

15     "                   "  284,960        " 

24     "  201,025 

30     "  336,641         " 

90     "  48,172 

The  shades  of   these  stamps  vary  somewhat  in 

intensity,    some    being  much    lighter    and    some 

darker  than  ordinary. 


—  240  — 


NAVY  DEPARTMENT. 

The  ovals  containing  the  busts,  the  labels  or 
scrolls  and  large  numerals  are  placed  on  a  ground 
of  vertical  parallel  lines.  A  large,  six-pointed  star 
in  each  upper  corner,  and  a  smaller  one  on  each 
side.  A  cable  runs  round  the  sides  and  top.  The 
words  "Navy"  on  the  left  and  ^Dept."  on  the 
right  in  the  usual  capitals  across  the  upper  corners 
and  a  losenge  with  "U."  on  the  left  and  "S."  on 
the  right  shaded  in  the  lower  corners  and  placed 
diagonally  above  the  scrolls  or  below  the  labels. 

Plate  impression  19 £  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 


1  cent,  ultramarine-blue. 

2  cents 
3 

6 

7 

10 
12 
15 
24 
30 
90 


106,800  issued. 
201,300 
580,700 
234,800 
16000 


61,300 
37,500 
26,000 
29,600 
11.270 


POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  oval  as  before  stated  contains  a  large  nu- 
meral of  value  instead  of  the  head  with  the  word 
'*•  Official"  above  and  " Stamp"  below,  on  a  plain 
colorless  ground.  Same  labels  or  scrolls  and 
numerals  rather  smaller  below  as  in  the  stamps  of 
other  departments, with  small  circular  disks  bearing 
11U."  and  "S."  on  the  left  and  right  above  the 


—  241  — 

scrolls  or  under  the  labels.  In  the  1,  6,  10,  30 
and  90  cents  these  small  disks  are  shaded  by 
vertical  lines,  in  the  other  values  by  diagonal  lines, 
and  the  letters  are  filled,  with  horizontal  lines. 
Around  the  top  of  the  oval  a  solid  colored  label 
bordered  by  colorless  lines  and  inscribed  liPost 
Office  Department."  There  is  a  small  circle  with 
four  horizontal  lines,  and  shaded  outside  in  each 
upper  corner,  all  on  a  ground  of  parallel  vertical 
lines. 

Plate  impression  19 1  by  25  mm,,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent   black,    1,114,250   issued. 

2  cents       u  894,600 

3  "  "         6,479,700 

6     "  "         3,306,800         " 

10     "  "  182,450         " 

12     "  "  298,780 

15     "  u  '          109,285         " 

24     u  "  87,625 

30     "  "  133,255         " 

90     "  "  65,200         u 

Two  complete  series  of  these  stamps  may  be 
found,  the  one  on  white  paper,  the  other  having 
the  surface  tinted  with  the  ink  of  the  stamp,  also 
intermediate  or  partly  tinted  specimens,  showing 
that  the  tinting  probably  results  from  imperfect 
wiping  of  the  plates. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 
The  ovals  containing  the  heads,  the  scrolls,  labels 


—  242  — 

and  large  numerals  are  placed  on  a  ground  of 
vertically  ruled  lines,  crossed  in  parts  to  form 
heavy  shadows  and  showing  stripes  at  the  sides, 
small  shields  above  the  ends  of  the  scrolls  and 
below  the  ends  of  the  labels,  bearing  the  "U."  and 
US,"  lined  and  shaded.  A  large,  six-pointed  star 
in  the  upper  corners.  A  broad,  colorless  band 
doubly  curved  and  following  in  part  the  outline  of 
the  oval  above,  inscribed  in  lined  and  shaded 
Roman  capitals,  "Dept.  of  the  Interior." 

Plate  impression  19 J  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent    vermilion,  394,800  issued. 

2  cents         "         1,414,400        " 

3  "  "         5,255,300 
6     "             u         1,722,500 

10     "  "  284,550         " 

12     "  «  359,850 

15     "  "  257,100 

24     "  "  134,125 

30     "  "  138,300 

90     "  "  64.377 

DEPARTMENT  OF  JUSTICE. 

The  ovals  containing  the  heads,  bands,  scrolls 
and  large  numerals  are  placed  on  a  ground  of  ver- 
tically ruled  lines.  Six  pointed  stars  with  the 
letters  "U."  and  "S."  above  the  ends  of  the  scrolls 
or  under  the  ends  of  the  labels.  Diagonally  in 
small  capitals  in  the  upper  left  corner,  "Dept."  in 
the  right  "of"  and  in  larger  capitals  following  the 
line  of  the  oval,  "Justice1'  all  in  outline  Roman 


-  '243  — 

capitals  heavily  shaded,  on  the  ground  without 
bands.  The  oval,  stars,  scrolls,  etc.,  are  also 
heavily  shaded. 

Plate   impression   19£  by  25    mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,    purple,    25,000    issued. 

2  cents,       "          26,900         " 

3  "  "        182,000         «« 
6     "  "          84,000         " 

10     "  u         20,500         " 

12     "  "          26,800 

15     "  "          12,800         " 

24     "  "  12,800         " 

30     u  "  8,600         " 

90     "  "  3,200 

The  color  varies  very  slightly  in  intensity. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 
*  The  ovals  containing  the  heads,  bands  scrolls  and 
large  numerals  are  placed  upon  a  ground  of  verti- 
cally ruled  lines,  showing  stripes  at  the  sides.  A 
solid  label  curved  with  the  oval  above  bounded  by  a 
colorless  line  and  rounded  at  the  ends,  is  inscribed 
"Agriculture"  in  outlined  capitals.  In  small  simi- 
lar capitals  in  the  upper  left  corner,  "Dept.  of  '  in 
two  lines.  In  the  upper  right  corner  in  monogram, 
"(7.  S." 

Plate   impression,   19 J  by  25  mm.,  in  color,  on 
white  paper;  perforated  12. 

1  cent,     straw,      95,415   issued. 

2  cents         "        230,150         u 

3  "  -'        435,050 


—  244  — 

6  cents,  straw,    120,000    issued. 

10     "  '•          95,265         " 

12     "  u          51,265 

15     "  "          54,050 

24     "  "  60,265 

80     "  "          82,265 

By  the  appropriation  acts  each  year  from  the 
Act  of  the  22  June,  1874,  a  certain  amount  was 
annually  appropriated  to  each  Department  for  the 
purchase  from  the  Post  Office  Department  of  such 
of  these  official  stamps  as  were  necessary  for  the 
use  of  the  Department  and  its  subordinate  officers. 
By  the  9th  Section  of  the  Act  of  the  XLIVth 
Congress,  Session  I,  Chapter  287,  approved  the  loth 
of  August.  1876,  it  was  enacted. 

"That  the  Secretaries  respectively  of  the  Departments 
of  State,  Treasury,  War,  Navy  and  Interior  and  the  At- 
torney General  are  authorized  to  make  requisition  upon 
the  Postmaster  General  for  the  necessary  amount  of 
postage  stamps  for  the  use  of  their  Departments  not 
exceeding  the  amount  stated  in  the  estimates  submitted 
to  Congress,  and  upon  presentation  of  proper  vouchers 
therefore  at  the  Treasury,  the  amount  thereof  shall  be 
credited  to  the  appropriation  for  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment for  the  same  fiscal  year." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  an  entire  change  in 
the  method  of  crediting  the  Post  Office  Department 
for  work  done  in  carrying  official  correspondence. 

By  the  Act  of  XLIVth  Congress,  Session  II,  Chap- 
ter 103,  approved  March  30,  1877,  the  law  was  modi- 
fied in  the  following  terms : 

Sec.  5.     "That  it  shall  be  lawful  to  transmit  through 


—  245  — 

the  mail,  free  of  postage  any  letters,  packages  or  other 
matter  relating  exclusively  to  the  business  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States :  Provided  that  every  such 
letter  or  package  to  entitle  it  to  pass  free  shall  bear  over 
the  words  "Official  Business"  an  endorsement,  showing 
also  the  name  of  the  Department,  aud  if  from  a  bureau 
or  office,  the  names  of  the  Department  and  bureau  or  of- 
fice, as  the  case  may  be,  whence  transmitted.  And  if 
any  person  shall  make  use  of  any  such  official  envelope 
to  avoid  the  payment  of  postage  on  his  private  letter* 
package  or  other  matter  in  the  mail,  the  person  so  of- 
fending shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor  and 
subject  to  a  fine  of  three  hundred  dollars,  to  be  prose- 
cuted in  any  court  of  competent  judisdiction. 

Sec.  6.  That  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  this  act  into 
effect  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  of  the  Executive  De- 
partments of  the  United  States  to  provide  for  itself  and 
its  subordinate  officers  the  necessary  envelopes,  and  in 
addition  to  the  endorsement  designating  the  Department 
in  which  they  are  to  be  used,  the  penalty  for  the  unlaw- 
ful use  shall  be  stated  theron. 

Sec.  7.  That  Senators,  Representatives  and  Delegates 
in  Congress,  the  Secretary  of  the  Senate  and  Clerk  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  may  send  and  receive 
through  the  mail  all  public  documents  printed  by  order 
of  Congress,  and  the  name  of  each  Senator,  Representa- 
tive, Delegate,  Secretary  of  the  Senate,  and  Clerk  of  the 
House,  shall  be  written  thereon  with  the  proper  desig- 
nation of  the  office  he  holds,  and  the  provisions  of  this 
section  shall  apply  to  each  of  the  persons  mentioned 
therein  until  the  first  day  of  December  following  the 
expiration  of  their  terms  of  office." 

By  this  act  the  use  of  official  stamps  upon  mail 
matter  from  the  Departments,  bureaus  and  offices 
was  practically  abolished,  but  official  stamps  con- 
tinued to  be  used  by  postmasters  and  other  subor- 


—  246  — 

dinate  officers  in  their  mail  matter  to  the  Depart- 
ments or  each  other  on  official  business. 

By  the  29th  Section  of  the  Act  of  the  XLVth 
Congress,  Chapter  180,  approved  March  3d,  1879, 
it  was  enacted  that, — 

"The  provisions  of  the  5th  and  6th  Sections  of  the 
Act  entitled.  An  Act  Establishing  Post  Routes  and  for 
other  purposes,  approved  March  3d,  1877,  for  the  trans- 
mision  of  official  mail  matter,  be  and  they  are  hereby 
extended  to  all  officers  of  the  United  States 'Government^ 
and  made  applicable  to  all  official  mail  matter  transmit- 
ted between  any  of  the  officers  of  the  United  States,  or 
between  any  such  officer  and  either  of  the  Executive 
Departments  or  officers  of  the  Government,  the  envel- 
opes of  such  matter  in  all  cases  to  bear  appropriate  en- 
dorsements containing  the  proper  designation  of  the  of- 
fice from  which  the  same  is  transmitted,  with  a  state- 
ment of  the  penalty  for  their  misuse  And  the  provisions 
of  said  5th  and  6th  Sections  are  hereby  likewise  extend- 
ed and  made  applicable  to  all  official  mail  matter  sent 
from  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  Provided,  that  this 
Act  shall  not  extend  or  apply  to  pension  agents,  or  oth- 
er officers  who  receive  a  fixed  allowance  for  their  ser- 
vices, including  expenses  for  postage." 

In  his  report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1878,  D.  M.  Key,  Postmaster  General,  had 
already  stated  that, — 

"The  amount  of  matter  sent  throught  the  mails  free 
is  very  large,  adding  greatly  to  our  expenditures  and 
giving  us  no  revenue.  The  Franking  Privilege  has  been 
restored  to  the  members  and  chief  officers  of  Congress, 
so  as  to  allow  them  to  send  free  almost  anything  which 
they  were  ever  allowed  to  transmit  through  the  mails 
free,  except  letters.  Tons  upon  tons  of  books,  docu- 


—  247  — 

ments,  seeds,  shrubs  and  the  like  are  placed  in  our  mails 
free  of  cost,  on  this  score.  The  official  letters  of  the 
Executive  Departments  of  the  general  Government, 
their  documents,  etc.,  go  free  through  the  mails. " 

The  operation  of  the  act  of  1879,  however,  greatly 
increased  the  amount  of  free  matter,  and  de- 
creased the  use  of  official  stamps.  The  Post  Office 
Department  discontinued  their  use  entirely.  In  a 
circular  dated,  Washington,  D.  C.,  April  22nd, 
1879,  and  signed  by  A.  D.  Hazen,  third  assistant 
Postmaster  General,  it  is  stated  that : 

''The  Department  will  begin  the  issue  on  May  1st 
next,  of  envelopes  for  official  business  which  will  secure 
the  free  transmission  through  the  mails  of  all  official 
matter  and  which  are  intended  to  supercede  the  Post 
Office  envelopes  now  in  use,  as  well  as  official  postage 
stamps  and  official  stamped  envelopes.  Accordingly 
the  issue  of  official  stamps  and  official  stamped  envel- 
opes will  be  discontinued  on  and  after  the  date  named. 
*  *  *  The  stock  of  post  office  envelopes  now  in  the 
hands  of  postmasters  will  continue  until  exhausted  to 
be  used  as  heretofore  by  the  attatchment  of  official 
postage  stamps.  So  also  official  stamped  envelopes  now 
in  the  hands  of  postmasters  at  Presidential  offices  will 
be  used  as  heretofore  until  exhausted." 

This  circular,  of  course,  applies  only  to  stamps, 
etc.,  of  the  Post  Office  Department.  The  other 
Departments  continued  to  use  them  for  certain 
purposes,  though  none  were  issued  to  the  Execu- 
tive Department.  The  report  of  the  Postmaster 
General  for  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1885,  says: 

The  use  of  official  stamps  and  stamped  envelopes  was 
wholly  discontinued  by  this  Department  and  substan- 


—  248  — 

tially  so  by  the  other  Departments  on  the  30th  of  June, 
1879,  under  the  Act  authorizing  the  use  of  official  penal- 
ty envelopes." 

By  the  Act  of  the  XLVIIIth  Congress,  Session 
I,  Chapter  234,  Section  3,  approved  July  5,  1884, 
the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  1879,  were  substan- 
tially re-enacted  with  the  addition  that  any 
Department  or  officer  authorized  to  use  the  pen- 
alty envelopes,  might  enclose  them  to  any  person 
from  whom  an  answer  was  requested,  and  might 
register  any  letter  required  by  law,  or  the  regula- 
tions to  be  registered  free,  and  might  receive  any 
letter  partly  paid  free,  and  added  that; 

''Section  3915  of  the  Kevised  Statutes  of  the  United 
States  so  far  as  the  same  relates  to  stamps  and  stamped 
envelopes  for  official  purposes  is  hereby  repealed." 

To  this  the  report  of  the  Postmaster  General  for 
1885,  adds; 

"The  use  of  official  postage  stamps  and  stamped  envel- 
opes having  ceased  on  the  30th  of  June,  1884,  and  the 
same  having  been  declared  invalid  for  postages  by  the 
Act  of  July  5th,  1884,  the  stock  remaining  in  the  hands 
of  the  stamp  and  envelope  contractors  was  destroyed  in 
February  last,  under  the  supervision  of  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  Postmaster  General." 

From  the  report  of  this  committee  it  appears  that 
they  destroyed  in  all,  17,024,588  official  stamps, 
and  1,739,290  of  ordinary  and  newspaper  stamps 
that  had  ceased  to  be  of  use.  Also  that  about  2£ 
per  cent,  of  all  the  stamps  manufactured  annually, 
are  destroyed,  a  single  imperfect  specimen  on  the 
"sheet"  of  100  causing  the  rejection  of  at  least 
fifty  or  half  the  sheet. 


XXVIII. 

OFFICIAL  SEALS. 

The  Post  Office  Department  of  the  United  States, 
besides  the  stamps  for  the  collection  of  postage, 
has  employed  from  time  to  time  for  special  usages 
certain  seals  which,  as  they  are  adhesive  and  in  the 
form  of  postage  stamps  and  officially  used,  are 
here  described,  although  they  are  of  no  postal 
value  and  not  properly  stamps,  but  are  all  em- 
ployed to  indicate  that  the  packages  which  bear 
them  are  properly  secured  and  have  not  been  tam- 
pered with  in  transit. 

REGISTERED  PACKAGE  SEAL. 

This  is  a  large  rectangular  seal  71£  by  39  mm., 
in  the  form  of  an  adhesive  stamp  duly  gummed 
and  perforated.  After  the  letters  or  parcels  of 
registered  letters  were  duly  placed  in  the  large 
registered  package  envelopes  employed  for  the 
purpose,  one  of  these  seals  was  firmly  secured  over 
the  tongue  of  the  envelope  and  duly  stamped  with 
the  date  of  mailing.  It  is  simply  an  additional 
guarantee  to  the  receiving  office  that  the  package 


—  250  — 

has  not  been  opened  since  it  was  sealed  at  the 
sending  office.  A  circular  announcing  its  issue 
and  directing  its  use  was  issued  from  the  office  of 
the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General  at  Washing- 
ton, dated  February  14,  1872,  A  second  circular 
from  the  same  office  dated  1875,  without  stating 
the  month  or  day,  announces  the  adoption  of  a 
differently  constructed  envelope  and  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  use  of  the  registered  seal. 

ISSUE  OF  FEBRUARY  14,  1872. 
Large,  oblong,  rectangular  seals,  having  in  the 
middle  a  circular  disk  with  ground  of  tine  concen- 
tric circles,  so  broken  as  to  present  the  appearance 
of  white  rays,  bounded  by  two  heavier,  but  still 
fine  colored  lines,  separated  by  a  colorless  line,  and 
and  a  broad  colorless  band  with  exterior  colored 
line,  inscribed  in  plain  block,  colored  capitals, 
above  "Stamp  Here,"  below,  "Date"  and  "Place  of 
Mailing"  separated  by  a  small  maltese  cross  on 
each  side.  On  each  side  of  this  is  a  ground  of 
horizontal  lines  bordered  by  a  heavy  colored  line 
with  ornamental  triangles  of  solid  color,  with 
colorless  geometric  lines  forming  the  corners. 
Outside  all  a  single  colored  line.  On  the  ground 
in  three  lines  of  colored  capitals,  on  each  side  are 
the  inscriptions  :  on  the  left,  reading  from  the  bot- 
tom to  the  top,  " Post  Office"  "Department-"  on  the 
right,  reading  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  "United 
States"  "of  America  •"  in  the  upper  corner  triangles 
ltU.  S."  in  monogram;  in  the  lower,  "P.  0.  D." 
in  white  capitals.  Across  the  middle  of  the  whole 


—  251  — 

stamp  in  large   block   capitals  8£  mm.   high   and 
shaded  by  horizontal  lines  is  the  word  " Registered." 

Plate   impression,    71£  by  39   mm,,  printed   in 
color,  on  white  paper,  perforated  12. 
No  value,  green. 

A  second  seal  empk^ed  for  a  time  by  the  United 
States  Postage  Stamp  Agency  upon  the  packages 
of  stamps  sent  out  to  postmasters,  was  equally  an 
additional  guarantee  against  opening  or  tampering 
with  the  package. 

ISSUE  OF  (END)  1875. 

A  large  rectangle  bearing  in  the  center  the  mon- 
ogram, llU.  S."  in  large  colorless  capitals  in  an 
oval  of  geometric  colored  lines,  surrounded  by  a 
ground  of  interlaced  colorless  geometric  lines  on 
color.  A  frame  of  fifteen  colored  parallel  lines 
crossing  in  the  angles.  A  clover  leaf  of  geometric 
work,  also  in  the  corners.  On  the  frame  above  in 
large  colorless  capitals,  "  £7.  S.  Postage  Stamp 
Agency,"  all  in  brown.  A  black  surcharge  of  eight 
lines  reads:  "Postmasters  Receiving  this  Package — 
Will  Please — Note  Its  Condition — If  showing  signs 
of  having  been  tarn — pered  with,  report  the  same  and 
return — this  package  to  3d  Asst.  P.  M.  General,  at 
—Washington,  D.  C.  This  Package — Should  be 
opened  at  the  end.  E.  W.  Barber,  3d  Asst.  P.  M. 
G."  Lithographed  in  color  on  white  paper,  but 
not  perforated,  102  by  52  mm. 

No  value,  brown  and  black. 

This  was  afterwards  changed  by  merely  changing 
the  signature  to  "A.  D.  Hazen,  3d  Asst.  P.  M.  G." 


—  252  — 

and  the  surcharge  to  vermilion. 

Lithographed  in  color  on  white  paper  and  not 
perforated. 

No  value,  brown  and  vermilion. 

[The  latter  are  still  in  use.  Dec.,  '86]. 

A  third  seal  was  employed  by  the  Dead  Letter 
Office  at  Washington,  and  afterwards  by  other 
offices,  to  reseal  letters  opened  at  that  office  or 
broken  in  the  mails.  It  was  placed  upon  the  flap 
of  the  envelope  of  letters  opened  at  the  Dead 
Letter  Office,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  name  of  the 
sender,  or  on  letters  opened  by  the  wrong  persons 
through  mistake,  or  upon  the  torn  places  of  other 
packages. 

ISSUE  OF  (BEGINNING  OF)  1877. 

A  large  rectangle  with  small  head  of  Liberty, 
full  face  in  an  oval  11  by  8  mm.  in  the  center. 
Above  in  curved  line  of  colored  block  letters, 
"Post  Office  Department  "  below  in  double  curve 
of  Old  English  colored  letters,  "  United  States  of 
America."  On  each  side  of  the  oval  a  solid  label 
bearing  in  large  colorless  letters  on  left,  "Offi- 
cially"  on  right  "Sealed."  In  the  corners  "  U.S" 
in  monogram.  The  frame  is  a  broad  band  3  mm. 
wide,  vertically  lined  forming  a  rectangle  with 
rounded  corners,  double  lined  outside  and  inside 
and  shaded.  The  ground  is  covered  with  the 
words  "Post  Obitum"  repeated  in  whole  or  part 
180  times,  in  horizontal  lines.  On  the  frame  be- 
low "National  Bank  Note  Company  New  York" 
in  small  colored  letters. 


—  253  — 

Plate  impression,  in  color,  on  white  paper,  431 
by  27  mm.,  perforated  12. 

No  value,  brown. 

ISSUE  OF   1879. 

The  foregoing  stamp  was  replaced  in  1879,  by 
another  of  the  same  design,  but  the  words  "Po.sZ 
Obitum"  in  the  ground  are  replaced  by  a  pattern 
of  interlaced  circles.  The  same  name  on  the 
frame. 

Plate  impression,  in  color,  on  white  paper,  431 
by  27  mm.,  perforated  12. 

No  value,  brown. 


XXIX. 

REPRINTS. 

There  seems  to  have  been  no  special  law  autho- 
rizing the  Postmaster  General  to  issue  reprints  of 
the  stamps  of  the  United  States,  or  as  the  authori- 
ties choose  to  call  them,  "  Specimen  Postage 
Stamps."  On  the  other  hand  his  general  authority 
under  the  law  is  sufficient  to  make  any  re-issue  for 
postal  purposes  of  any  of  the  issues  o'f  the  Depart- 
ment legal,  for  none  of  them  except  the  official 
stamps  have  ever  been  made  invalid  for  postal  pur- 
poses by  any  authority  but  his  own,  and  this 
authority  he  undoubtedly  has  also.  It  has  always 
seemed  expedient  to  the  Department  to  issue 
certain  specimens  of  the  stamps  and  envelopes  in 
circulation,  or  to  be  circulated,  from  time  to  time, 
in  the  proper,  as  well  as  in  trial  colors.  It  has 
been  said  that  it  being  considered  expedient  to 
exhibit  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition  a  complete 
series  of  all  the  various  issues  authorized  from 
time  to  time,  by  the  Department,  as  a  part  of  its 
history,  and  -  unused  specimens  not  being  easily 


—  255  — 

obtained,  the  old  dies  and  plates  were  taken  from 
their  places  of  storage  in  order  to  print  the  neces- 
sary specimens,  and  that  the  Department  having 
been  solicited  to  furnish  collectors  with  specimens 
of  its  old  issues,  took  this  opportunity  to  provide 
itself  to  satisfy  these  demands.  It  was,  however, 
a  mistaken  kindness  and  unused  originals  were 
not  unattainable.  So  that  for  exhibition  purposes 
even  reprinting  was  not  necessary.  Besides  as  the 
reprints  or  specimens  of  all  except  the  current 
series,  are  in  some  respects  or  other  unlike  the 
originals,  they  were  really  only  so  many  tolerably 
accurate  pictures  of  what  had  been. 

When  the  Department  was  ready  to  furnish 
collectors  with  these  doubtful  boons  the  following 
official  circular  was  issued : 

SPECIMEN  POSTAGE  STAMPS. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Office  of  Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

Div.  of  Postage  Stamps,  St'ped  Envelopes  &  Postal  Cards. 

Washington,  D.  (7.,  March  27,  1875. 
The  Department  is  prepared  to  furnish  upon  applica- 
tion,  at  face  value,     specimens    of    adhesive  postage 
stamps  issued  under  its  auspices  as  follows: 

Ordinary  Stamps  for  Use  of  the  Public. 

1.  Issue  of  1847.     Denominations,  5  and  10  cents.  Value 

of  set,  15  cents. 

2.  Issue  of  1851.    Denominations,   1,  3,  5,  10,  12,  24,  30 

and  00  cents ;  also  two  separate  designs  of  1  cent 
carrier  stamps.     Value  of  set,  $1.77. 

3.  Issue  of  1861.  Denominations,  1,  2,  3,  5,  10,  12.  15,  24, 

30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $1.92. 

4.  Issue  of  1869.   Denominations,  1,  2,  3,  6, 10,  12,  15,  24, 


—  256  — 

30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $1.93. 
5.  Issue  of  1870  (current  series).    Denominations,  1,  2, 
3,  6,  7,  10,  12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set, 
$2. 

Official  Stamps. 

1.  Executive.    Denominations,    1,  2,  3,  6  and  10  cents. 

Value  of  set,  22  cents. 

2.  Department  of  State.      Denominations,  1,  2,  3,  6,  7, 

10,  12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents,    and   $2,  $5,  $10   and 
$20.    Value  of  Set.  $39. 

3.  Treasury  Department.      Denominations,  1,  2,  3,  6,  7, 

10,  12,  15.  24,  30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $2. 

4.  War  Department.  Denominations,  1,  2,  3,  6,  7, 10, 12, 

15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $2. 

5.  Navy  Department.      Denominations,   1,  2,  3,  6,  7.  10 

12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $2. 

6.  Post  Office  Department.     Denominations,   1,   2,  3,  6, 

10,  12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.     Value  of  set,  $1.93. 

7.  Department  of  the  Interior.      Denominations,  1,  2,  3, 

6,  10,  12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.   Value  of  set,  $1.93. 

8.  Department  of  Justice.     Denominations,   1,  2,   3,   G, 

10,  12,  15,  24,  30  and  90  cents.    Value  of  set,  $1.93. 

9.  Department  of  Agriculture.     Denominations,  1,  2,  3, 

6,  10,  12,  15,  24  and  30  cents.      Value  of  set,  $1.03. 
Newspaper  and  Periodical  Stamps. 

1.  Issue  of  1805.    Denominations,   5,   10   and  25  cents. 

Value  of  set,  40  cents. 

2.  Issue  of  1874.    Denominations,  2,  3,  4,  6,  8,  9,  10,  12, 

24,  3({,  48,  60,  72,  84,  96  cents.   $1.92,  $3,  $6,  $9,  $12, 
$24,  $36,  $48  and  $60.    Value  of  set,  $204.66. 
The  1847  and  1851  stamps  are   obsolete,  and  no  longer 
receivable  for  postage.    The  subsequent  issues  of  ordin- 
ary stamps  are  still  valid.    The  newspaper  and  periodi- 
cal stamps  of  1865  are  also  uncurrent;  those  of  the  is- 
sue of  1874  can  be  used  only   by  publishers   and   news- 
agents for  matter  mailed  in  bulk  under  the  Act  of  June 


—  257  — 

23rd,  1874.  The  official  stamps  cannot  be  used  except 
for  the  official  business  of  the  particular  Department 
for  which  it  is  provided. 

All  the  specimens  furnished  will  be  ungummed,  and 
the  official  stamps  will  have  printed  across  the  face 
the  word  "Specimen''  in  small  type.  It  will  be  useless 
to  apply  for  gummed  stamps  or  for  official  stamps 
with  the  word  "Specimen''  omitted. 

The  stamps  will  be  sold  by  sets,  and  application  must 
not  be  made  for  less  than  one  full  set  of  any  issue  ex- 
cept the  State  Department  official  stamps  and  newspa- 
per and  periodical  stamps  of  the  issue  of  1874.  The  reg- 
ular set  of  the  former  will  embrace  all  the  denomina- 
tions from  1  cent  to  90  cents  inclusive,  valued  at  $2;  and 
any  or  all  of  the  other  denominations  ($2,  $5,  $10  and 
$20)  will  be  added  or  sold  separately  from  the  regular 
set  as  desired. 

The  newspaper  and  periodical  stamps  will  be  sold  in 
quantities  of  not  less  than  two  dollars  worth  in  each 
case,  of  any  denomination  or  denominations  that  may 
be  ordered. 

Under  no  circumstances  will  stamps  be  sold  for  less 
than  their  face  value. 

Payment  must  invariably  be  made  in  advance  in  cur- 
rent funds  of  the  United  States.  Mutilated  currency,  in- 
ternal revenue  and  postage  stamps,  bank  checks  and 
drafts,  will  not  be  accepted,  but  will  in  all  cases  be  re- 
turned to  the  sende'r. 

To  insure  greater  certainty  in  the  transmission,  it  is 
strongly  urged  that  remittances  be  made  either  by 
money  order  or  registered  letter.  Applicants  will  also 
include  a  sufficient  amount  for  return  postage  and  regis- 
try fee,  it  being  desirable  to  send  stamps  by  registered 
letter.  Losses  in  the  mails  or  by  any  mode  of  transmis- 
sion must  be  at  the  risk  of  the  purchaser. 

^^Applications  must  be   addressed  to  "The  Third 


—  258  — 

Assistant  Postmaster  General,  Washington,  D.  C." 
Specimens  of  stamped  envelopes  will  not  be  furnished 

in  any  case. 

E.  W.  BARBER, 
Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General. 

Here  is  truly  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish.  The  pro- 
ceedings do  not  seem,  to  have  been  reported  by  the 
Department,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no 
account  rendered  of  this  peculiar  transaction  of  the 
Stamp  Office.  Doubtless  the  amounts  received  for 
these  specimens  and  the  number  of  them  sold  are 
blended, in  the  accounts  of  the  number  of  stamps 
sold  and  no  loss  accrued  to  the  service.  The 
public  are  not,  however,  informed  of  the  extent  of 
the  transactions,  and  judging  from  the  difficulty  of 
finding  these  specimens  in  collections,  the  business 
was  not  large. 

There  was  no  law  preventing  any  one  from  pur- 
chasing either  the  newspaper  or  periodical  stamps 
from  the  Post  office,  and  at  the  time  there  was  prob- 
ably no  regulation  of  the  Department  which  pre- 
vented postmasters  from  selling  them  to  all  desir- 
ous of  purchasing.  Certainly  some  were  sold  to 
dealers  and  collectors.  Hence  the  privilege  of 
purchasing  the  current  newspaper  and  periodical 
stamps  ivithout  gum  for  the  same  price  that  actual 
and  complete  copies  could  be  obtained,  particularly 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  purchaser,  unless  a 
publisher  or  agent,  could  not  use  them  when  so 
purchased,  even  if  he  were  willing  to  gum  them 
himself,  was  probably  not  largely  taken  advantage 
of.  The  specimens  when  found  can  hardly  be 


—  259  — 

• 

called  reprints  and  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
the  ordinary  stamps  that  have  by  some  accident  lost 
their  gum.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  some 
of  them  have  been  adorned  with  this  appendage  by 
private  parties,  so  that  the  presence  of  gum  is  no 
guarantee  of  genuiness.  As,  however,  they  are 
only  partly  finished  stamps  of  the  regular  issue,  no 
great  harm  is  done  if  a  specimen  is  treasured  in  a 
collection. 

With  the  newspaper  stamps  of  the  1865  issue  the 
facts  are  different.  While  they  are  from  the  same 
plates  apparently,  they  can  generally  be  detected 
by  the  color.  As  the  five  cents  with  white  border 
does  not  appear  in  the  list  of  reprints  or  "speci- 
mens" the  series  was  not,  after  all,  complete,  and 
the  possessor  of  this  stamp  may  feel  confident  of 
possessing  an  original.  The  companion  five  cents 
with  colored  border  is  exactly  of  the  same  color, 
varying  only  in  different  specimens  of  either 
variety  in  depths  of  color.  The  blue  of  the 
reprints  is  of  a  different  shade,  more  intense  and 
perhaps  the  difference  can  best  be  expressed  by 
saying  there  is  a  bloom  about  it  that  there  is  not 
about  the  originals.  When  the  two  are  placed 
side  by  side  the  homely  expression  that  the  "new 
is  worn  off"  of  the  originals  will  serve  to  express 
the  difference,  though  in  point  of  fact  they  never 
had  the  brightness  of  the  reprints.  The  same 
remarks  apply  to  the  old  and  new  ten  cent  values. 
The  color  of  the  25  cents,  is,  however,  very  badly 
imitated,  the  originals  have  a  yellowish-red  cast, 


—  260  — 

the  reprint  is  a  dull  common  red.  A  very  good 
idea  of  it  -might  be  had  by  comparing  what  are 
called  salmon  brick  and  pressed  brick  together. 
Unfortunately  some  unscrupulous  parties  have 
"experimented"  with  the  reprints  and  thus  ren- 
dered some  specimens  rather  harder  to  distinguish, 
but  so  far  as  the  observation  of  the  writer  goes, 
comparison  with  originals  will  always  satisfactorily 
expose  the  difference. 

The  extreme  anxiet3r  of  the  Department  that  the 
revenue  of  the  service  should  not  suffer  by  the  use 
of  a  private  party  of  an  official  stamp  for  which  he 
had  paid  the  department  full  value,  led  as  the 
advertisement  states  to  the  placing  of  the  word 
"specimen"  in  small  type  across  the  face,  and 
thereby  saved  the  collector  any  trouble  in  identify- 
ing "specimens"  from  originals,  though  as  the 
stamps  were  current  the  omission  of  the  gum  only 
reduced  them  to  partly  finished  stamps,  and  not 
to  the  category  of  reprints  or  counterfeits. 

Of  the  "ordinary  stamps  for  the  use  of  the 
public,"  the  5th  or  1870  issue  was  then  current, 
and  why  ungumined  stamps  which ,  the  circular 
says  were  never  the  less  available  for  postage, 
should  have  been  sold  when  the  Department  had  a 
large  supply  of  finished  originals  at  command,  is  a 
mystery  to  all  but  official  minds. 

The  4th  or  1869  series  presents  greater  difficul- 
ties to  the  collector  who  desires  to  have  only 
genuine  originals.  Made  by  the  same  company 
that  produced  the  originals,  and  only  a  short  time 


—  261  — 

afterwards,  the  processes  of  printing,  ink  and 
paper  making  had  not  materially  changed,  but  the 
reprints  show  signs  of  more  careful  workmanship. 
Notwithstanding  the  circular  some  of  them  at  least 
were  sent  out  by  the  department  gummed.  But 
strange  to  say  as  noticed  by  Mr.  Coster  (A.  J.  P. 
1875  page  6)  the  gum  of  the  originals  "varied  from 
decided!}'  brownish  to  almost  white"  and  "on  the 
1861-69  issues  of  the  reprints  (as  also  on  the 
eagles)  simple  gum  arabic  seems  to  have  been 
used,  the  color  being  perfectly  white.  Further- 
more, if  the  stamps  are  bent  at  all,  the  gum  cracks, 
which  is  in  no  case  true  of  the  originals."  Mr. 
Coster  further  says,  "the  originals  all  had  the 
grille  and  the  reprints  have  not."  Unfortunately, 
Mr.  Coster  was  not  aware  that  the  four  higher 
values  at  least,  with  the  brownish  gum  and  without 
the  grille,  and  undoubtedly  original,  existed  in 
collections  before  the  reprints  were  made,  and 
have  since  been  officially  stated  to  have  been  so 
issued,  and  other  values  also  in  that  condition  are 
known,  which  have  every  appearance  of  being 
originals.  Unfortunately  also,  it  is  not  very  diffi- 
cult to  remove  the  gum,  imitate  the  grille  or  not 
and  regum  the  stamp  with  brownish  gum.  Such 
experiments  have  been  made  with  fair  success  by 
members  of  that  fraternity  who  exist  by  the  trade 
in  bogus  antiquities  and  counterfeit  evidences  of 
value,  who  sometimes  do  these  little  things  merely 
to  experience  the  delight  they  feel  in  deceiving  the 
so-called  experts,  especially  when  as  in  this  case  a 


—  262  — 

known  reprint  is  almost  unsalable,  but  if  it  can  be 
made  to  pass  as  an  original  its  value  is  increased 
several  hundred  fold  and  its  salable  qualities  many 
times  more.  Fortunately  there  are  not  a  large 
number  of  the  reprints  to  encounter  and  grilled 
specimens  are  in  all  probability  original.  The  3d 
or  1861  issue  was  also  made  by  the  same  company 
that  did  the  reprinting.  The  originals  were  issued 
first  without  the  grille  and  afterwards  with  it,  both 
had  the  brownish  gum.  The  reprints  have  the 
same  perforation  and,  notwithstanding  the  circular, 
were  issued  both  without  the  gum  and  with  the 
white  stiff  gum  noticed  above.  Originals  without 
the  grille  are  rarely  on  tinted  or  surfaced  paper, 
though  sometimes  smurched  in  parts  from  careless 
wiping  of  the  plates.  Originals  with  the  grille  are 
generally  on  lightly  tinted  or  surfaced  paper  and 
the  colors  are  usually  stronger  than  the  earlier 
ones.  The  reprints  were  without  the  grille,  but 
the  colors  are  rather  those  of  the  grilled  originals, 
the  paper  is  however  whiter,  the  printing  more 
carefully  worked,  and  there  is  the  new  look  about 
them  noticed  when  speaking  of  the  reprints  of  the 
newspaper  series  of  1865.  Sheets  of  the  one  cent 
reprinted  show  the  printer's  imprint  on  the  sides 
and  of  the  pattern  of  that  on  the  1869  issue.  All 
the  originals  of  this  value  probably  had  the  imprint 
of  the  other  pattern,  and  at  the  top  or  bottom. 
The  reprints  are  therefore,  probably  from  new 
plates. 

A  few  reprints  with  a  forged   grille  have   come 


—  263  — 

under  the  observation  of  the  writer,  but  as  the 
grille  was  the  small  grille  imitated  from  that  on  the 
1869  issue  it  was  easily  detected. 

The  2nd  or  1851  issue,  as  it  is  called  in  the 
circular,  actually  consisted  of  two  series,  the 
imperforate  and  perforate.  Imperforate  reprints 
were  not  furnished.  The  originals  were  perforated 
15  to  the  mm.  or  17  to  the  1  of  an  inch.  The  re- 
prints were  perforated  12  to  the  mm.  or  13  to  the 
1  of  an  inch.  This  is  the  perforation  of  the  1870 
series  and  of  most  of  the  U.  S.  stamps. 

This  is  an  absolute  test  then  for  perforated 
specimens.  Attempts  are*  however,  made  to  palm 
off  trimmed  reprints  as  imperforate  specimens. 
The  originals  are  on  a  yellowish  paper  and  with 
brown  gum.  The  reprints  on  a  very  white  paper 
originally  but  easily  manipulated  to  yellowish. 
The  reprint  of  the  one  cent  is  from  a  new  plate, 
the  stamps  have  the  outside  fine  labels  of  the 
original  imperforate  series,  but  are  set  farther 
apart  on  the  plate  so  that  even  the  larger  perfora 
tion  used  does  not  cut  into  the  stamp.  The  blue 
is  too  bright.  The  reprinted  three  cents  has  the 
outer  top  and  bottom  lines  of  the  original  imper- 
forate stamp.  The  stamps  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  set  quite  far  enough  apart  on  the  plate,  as 
most  specimens  are  somewhat  marred  by  the  large 
perforation.  The  color  is  however  a  vermilion 
and  not  the  brick-red,  pink  or  carmine  of  the 
originals.  The  reprinted  five  cents  is  from  plate 
No,  2  without  the  top  and  bottom  projection,  and 


—  264  — 

the  stamps  being  too  near  together  are  marred  by 
the  large  perforation.  The  color  is  a  decided 
yellow  brown,  unlike  any  of  the  shades  of  the 
original.  It  would  probably  be  impossible  to 
remove  the  perforation  so  as  to  make  this  stamp 
pass  for  an  imperforate  specimen  and  then  it 
would  lack  the  projection  of  the  original. 

The  ten  and  twelve  cents  are  harder  to  distin- 
guish, the  green  is  too  green,  the  black  too  black. 
The  twenty-four,  thirty  and  ninety  cents  were  not 
issued  imperforate  (except  the  very  rare  instances 
of  the  24  cents)  and  are  not  likely  to  deceive  an}T 
one,  their  colors,  however,  are  the  more  brilliant 
new  colors  and  not  the  old  dull  colors  of  the 
originals. 

The  reprinted  "Eagle"  Carrier's  stamp  was  first 
sent  out  perforated  12,  the  original  was,  of  course, 
imperforate,  and  the  stamps  upon  the  sheet  were 
separated  by  colored  lines.  The  perforations  of 
the  reprints  made  sad  havoc  with  these.  Later 
the  reprints  were  sent  out  imperforate.  Such 
originals  as  the  present  writer  has  seen  are  on  a 
yellowish  tinted  paper  arising  probably  from  the 
gum  or  age,  the  reprints  are  on  a  paper  blued  on 
the  printed  side  by  the  ink  of  the  stamp  and  with 
a  blue  cast  at  the  back. 

The  reprinted  "Franklin"  Carrier's  stamp  is  on 
too  deep  a  pink  paper  and  the  dark  blue  ink  is  not 
deep  and  dull  enough. 

Finally  the  only  safe  test  of  any  of  these  stamps 
is  comparison  with  undoubted  originals,  in  every 


ease  of  doubt.  The  first  or  1847  reprints  are  not  from 
the  original  plates  nor  even  from  the  original  dies,  but 
from  newly  engraved  dies,  and  hence  are  absolutely 
worthless  as  representing  the  originals.  They  are  not 
reprints,  but  official  imitations.  In  speaking  of  this 
issue  it  was  stated  that  the  Department  had  ordered  all 
remainders  to  be  burnt  and  the  plates  and  dies  de- 
stroyed. Supposing  this  to  have  been  done,  reprinting 
was  impossible.  To  take  the  place  of  the  originals, 
new  dies  were  made. 

The  imitations  are  both  wider  and  shorter  than  the 
originals.  The  foliated  ornaments  are  too  conspicuous 
in  both.  The  small  letters,  R.  W.  H.  and  E.  in  the 
margins^  though  clear  in  the  originals  are  too  small, 
and  particularly  in  the  five  cents  almost  illegible,  being 
too  light,  and  apparently  the  engraver  did  not  know 
whether  to  make  an  R  or  an  H,  an  M  or  a  W,  an  H  or 
an  N,  an  E  or  an  F.  The  paper  is  perhaps  more  de- 
cidedly bluish  than  that  of  the  originals.  These  are 
the  general  and  common  differences. 

The  Five  Cents.  The  hair  on  the  right  of  the  head 
(left  of  the  stamp)  is  in  heavy  dark  masses  in  the 
original,  but  is  too  light,  open  and  airy  in  the  imita- 
tion. The  mouth  prolonged  in  the  original  beyond 
the  dot  on  the  right,  ends  with  it  in  the  imitation,  in 
which  there  is  a  second  dot  to  the  right  of  the  first. 
The  eyes  are  clear  and  distinct  in  the  original,  with 
perhaps  too  much  white  in  the  right  one,  they  are  weak 
undecided  eyes  in  the  imitation.  The  shirt  front  in  the 
original  is  terminated  by  a  diagonal  line  which  reaches 
the  oval  above  the  top  of  the  F  of  "Five"  in  the  origi- 
nal, but  is  more  nearly  horizontal  in  the  imitation, 
reaching  the  oval  nearly  on  a  line  with  the  top  of  the  5. 

The  Ten  Cents.  In  the  hair  on  the  right  of  the 
stamp  there  is  a  small,  white  circle  with  a  dark  center 
in  the  imitation  which  does  not  appear  in  the  original. 


—  266  — 

The  lips  arc  larger  and  the  mouth  longer  in  the  origi- 
nal than  the  imitation,  and  in  the  latter  the  lower  lip 
is  indicated  throughout  by  vertical  lines,  while  in  the 
original  there  are  only  three  vertical  lines,  the  rest  of 
the  lip  is  shaded  by  points.  In  the  original  the  white 
cravat  is  separated  from  the  inner  colored  line  marking 
the  oval  by  a  tine  white  line  with  a  colored  line  above 
it;  in  the  imitation  the  line  of  the  oval  terminates 
the  cravat.  After  the  word  "Office"  the  base  of  the 
foliated  ornament  is  adorned  with  little  pearls  and 
diamonds.  Jn  the  original  these  are  shaded  below 
and  at  the  right,  giving  the  effect  to  the  unaided  eye  of 
a  rope.  In  the  imitation  these  are  shaded  below  only, 
giving  the  effect  of  black  dots.  There  is  &  white 
square  in  the  background  in  the  upper  loop  of  the  S  of 
"Post."  The  lines  of  the  face  are  all  too  stiff  and 
ridged  and  the  execution  does  not  compare  in  delicacy 
and  boldness  of  touch  with  the  original.  Several  in- 
stances have  recently  come  to  notice  in  which  these 
imitation  ten  cents  fastened  upon  pieces  of  old  letters 
and  canceled  have  been  offered  as  originals. 

It  does  not  seem  to  have  been  generally  known  that 
these  so-called  specimen  stamps  continued  to  be  sold  to 
collectors  for  a  number  of  years.  A  second  circular 
dated  October  16,  1882,  and  signed  "A.  D.  Hazen, 
Third  Assis't.  Postmaster-Gen'l."  is  an  exact  repe- 
tition of  that  of  1875,  except  that  in  the  5  series  issue 
of  1870  both  the  5-cent  (Taylor)  and  5-cent  (Garfield) 
are  enumerated  and  a  6  series  "(issue  of  1879  postage 
due  stamps)  denominations  1,  2,  3,  5,  10,  30  and  5  cents. 
Value  of  set  $1.01"  are  added. 

It  is  stated  by  very  reliable  dealers  and  collectors 
that  the  first  sets  of  the  1865  Newspaper  stamps  fur-, 
nished  in  reply  to  the  1875  circular  were  "remainders" 
and  contained  the  5-cent  stamp  with  the  blue  border; 
that  the  first  reprints  were  made  on  remainders  of  the 


—  267  — 

original  paper  and  that  those  furnished  later  were  on 
a  thicker  paper  than  any  of  these.  It  is  extremely 
difficult  in  some  cases  to  pronounce  positively  on  the 
genuineness  of  specimens  of  the  5  and  10  cents. 


XXX. 

ISSUE  OF  1887-8  COMPLETED. 

(See  Page  197). 

Shortly  after  the  design  of  the  1-eent  (June  15, 
1887,)  had  been  altered  another  change  was  announced 
in  a  circular,  dated  August  15,  1887,  from  the  office  of 
H.  K.  Harris,  Third  Assistant  Postmaster-General;  it 
says,  ''On  or  about  the  12th  of  September,  1887,  the 
following  changes  in  the  series  of  postage  stamps  will 
be  made  :  The  color  of  the  2-cent  stamp  will  be  green, 
instead  of  the  present  color,  metalic  red. 

The  color  of  the  3-cent  stamp  (issues  of  which  are 
stiil  made  to  some  of  the  larger  post-offices)  will  be 
vermilion  instead  of  green." 

The  remainder  of  the  circular  relates  to  stamped  en- 
velopes, describes  the  new  dies  for  the  1,  2,  4  and  5 
cent  envelopes  and  announces  that  the  colors  of  the 
embossed  envelope  stamps  will  be  1-cent  blue,  2  cents 
green,  4  cents  carmine,  5  cents  blue,  30  cents  brown 
and  90  cents  purple. 

It  was  a  matter  of  some  surprise  to  those  whose  no- 
tice is  attracted  to  such  things,  persons  in  the  postal 
service,  stamp  collectors  and  others,  that  so  radical 
a  change  should  be  made  in  the  color  of  the  envelope 
stamps  without  announcing  a  corresponding  change  in 
the  colors  of  the  adhesives  of  the  same  values.  Col- 
lectors especially  recalled  the  hard  struggle  to  obtain 


—  261)  - 

an  embossed  companion  to  the  metallic  red  two-cent 
adhesive  and  the  numerous  varieties  of  color  and  die 
that  had  resulted.  The  comparative  merits  of  apple- 
green,  and  metallic-red  as  a  color  for  the  stamp  in  most 
ordinary  use  and  all  the  aesthetic  hearings  of  the  case 
was  discussed  in  the  columns  of  the  daily  press,  and 
stimulated  the  ingenuity  of  the  curious  to  ring  the 
changes  on  the  combinations  of  the  three  green  adhe- 
sive values  with  their  corresponding  green  embossed 
equivalents,  or  of  the  two  vermilion  values  with  the 
varieties  of  the  vermilion  two-cent  envelope  stamp,  or 
of  the  vermilion  and  green  stamps  and  envelopes  in 
joint  combinations  to  provide  for  domestic  and  foreign 
registered  postage,  or  single, don ble  and  tripple  foreign 
rates.  This  gave  doubtless  a  pleasing  variety  of  color, 
but  the  bewildering  combinations  certainly  did  not 
facilitate  the  work  of  the  postal  clerks.  After  it  had 
been  returned  by  the  receiver  a  registered  domestic 
letter  which  bore  the  six  still  current  2-cent  stamps, 
the  black  of  1863,  the  brown  of  1869,  the  brown  of 
1870,  the  vermilion  of  1875,  the  metallic-red  of  1883 
and  the  apple-green,  is  said  to  have  been  exhibited  to 
the  authorities  by  the  sender  who,  though  he  had 
to  pay  a  premium  for  some  of  the  varieties,  claims  to 
be  well  satisfied  with  his  prize. 

It  is  not  surprising  therefore  that  the  Department  is- 
sued a  circular  to  all  post-offices  hastening  the  work  of 
redemption  of  the  3  and  6-cent  envelopes  and 
stamps  of  the  old  colors,  and  that  the  face  value  of 
those  destroyed  soon  reached  the  comfortable  little 
sum  of  $731,503.61,  and  that  the  colors  of  the  4,5, 
30  and  90-cent  adhesives  were  quietly  made  to 
correspond  with  those  of  the  envelopes  of  like  denomi- 
nation. The  change  does  not  seem  to  have  been  an- 
nounced either  in  the  Postal  Guide  or  by  the  usual  cir- 
cular, nor  is  it  mentioned  in  the  Postmaster-General's 


—  270  — 

Report  for  1888,  and  the  exact  date  of  the  issue  of 
each  value  does  not  seem  to  be  known.  The  change  of 
the  color  of  the  30  cents  to  brown,  was  chronicled  in 
the  stamp  papers  of  February,  1888,  that  of  the  5  cents 
to  indigo  and  of  the  90  cents  to  purple  in  the  stamp  pa- 
pers of  April,  1888,  while  the  papers  of  December, 
1888,  stated  that  so  great  had  been  the  stock  of  the 
green  4  cents  in  comparison  with  the  number  used, 
that  none  had  then  been  issued  in  carmine. 

,  ISSUE  OF  SEPTEMBER  12,  1887. 
Types  of  the  2  cents  of  September  15,  1883,  (page 
189)  and  of  the  3  cents  of  November,  1882,  (page  184) 
printed  on  the  white  special  paper  required  by  the  con 
tract  of  1885,  arranged  as  described  on  page  172.  Im- 
print American  Bank  Note  Co.;  perforated  12. 

2  cents,  green. 

3  cents,  vermilion. 

ISSUE  OF   1888. 

Types  of  the  4  cents  of  September  15,  1883,  (page 
189)  of  the  5  cents  of  April  10,  1882,  (page  181),  of  the 
30  cents  (page  168)  and  90  cents  (page  169)  of  May 
1870,  printed  on  the  special  white  paper  lequired 
by  the  contract  of  1885,  in  sheets  arranged  as  described 
on  page  172.  Imprint  American  Bank  Note  Co.;  per- 
forated 12. 

4  cents,  carmine. 

5  cents,  indigo-blue. 
30  cents,  brown. 

90  cents,  purple. 

No  very  extended  obervations  need  be  made  on  this 
series.  Beyond  the  usual  slight  variations  in  color 
there  are  no  varieties  and  but  few  oddities  in  per- 
foration. There  are  two  marked  shades,  light  and 
dark,  in  the  2-cent  green,  and  the  same  value  has 
been  noted  with  double  perforations  all  round. 


—  271  — 

All  the  1  and  2-cent  stamps  issued  under  the  con- 
tract of  1885-89  may  be  found  with  a  number  of  ex- 
tra perforations  in  a  second  row  above  or  below  the 
regular  perforation  according  as  the  specimen  is  from 
the  top  or  bottom  of  the  sheet.  This  includes  1-cent 
altered  die  of  18 —  and  the  new  die  of  1887,  and  the 
2  cents  metallic-red  and  green.  This  perforation  is  not 
accidental,  but  is  arranged  in  a  certain  combination  of 
holes  directly  over  those  of  the  regular  perforation  and 
blank  spaces  in  uniform  order  though  apparently  not 
always  over  the  same  stamps.  From  the  specimens 
now  under  observation  the  exact  order  cannot  be  de- 
termined, but  it  is  something  like  the  following,  the 
Arabic  numerals  standing  for  the  numbei  of  holes 
together,  and  the  Roman  numerals  for  the  number 
of  holes  over  which  there  is  no  double  perforation  i.  e. 
the  blank  spaces  :  7,  II,  8,  VIII,  7,  II,  8,  IX,  9,  XVI, 
9,  XVI,  9,  IX,  8,  11,  7,  IX  from  right  to  left  on  the  part 
of  the  right  hand  sheet.  On  the  left  hand  side  are 
combinations  of  ten,  two  and  six  holes  together.  The 
purpose  of  these  has  not  been  ascertained. 


XXXI. 
ISSUE  OF  1890. 

The  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  adhesive  stamps 
contained  the  usual  option  to  the  Postmaster-General 
to  extend  it.  To  afford  time  in  which  to  make  needful 
preparations  for  the  new  contract  the  new  administra- 
tion extended  the  old  contract  until  September  30, 
1889,  and  on  June  17,  1889,  made  the  necessary  adver- 
tisements for  proposals  for  furnishing  the  stamps  for 
four  years  from  October  1,  1890.  The  call  was  for  bids 
on  stamps  of  the  current  size,  1  by  25-32  of  an  inch, 
and  on  stamps  measuring  only  |^x%  of  an  inch,  ex- 
clusive in  each  case  of  the  spaces  between  the  stamps, 
for  ordinary  postage  stamps,  the  special  delivery,  pos- 
tage due  and  periodical  stamps  to  remain  of  their  for- 
mer sizes  respectively.  A  newr  feature  of  this  contract 
was  that  the  stamps  were  to  be  of  the  colors  specified 
and  of  the  specimens  in  the  selected  colors  which  were 
added  to  the  specifications  furnished  each  bidder  and 
duly  canceled  with  the  words  "Sample  A-'  for  the  first 
size,  and  "Sample"  for  the  then  current  si/e.  The 
stamps  were  to  be  printed  from  hardened  steel  plates, 
the  inks  to  be  used  to  be  of  t^e  colors  shown  in  the 
samples  shown  for  each  denomination,  and  fully  equal 
in  quality  thereto.  No  analine  inks  were  to  be  allowed 
and  the  printing  was  to  be  bid  for  to  be  done  on  hand 
presses,  on  steam  power  presses,  doing  all  or  only  a 


—  278  — 

portion  of  the  work,  with  and  without  the  right  re- 
served to  the  Postmaster-General  to  require  all  the  work 
to  be  done  on  hand-power  presses  if  the  steam-power 
work  did  not  meet  his  approval.  The  paper  was,  how- 
ever, to  he  "equal  to  sample"  instead  of  made  to  a  cer- 
tain formula  as  provided  in  1885.  ''Each  sheet  of  the 
finished  work"  was  "to  contain  not  more  than  100 
stamps."  To  admit  of  proper  perforation  the  blank 
space  or  margins  between  the  stamps  on  a  sheet  was 
to  be  of  equal  width  to  that  on  the  corresponding  kinds 
of  the  current  stamps. 

Only  two  bids  were  submitted,  that  of  Charles  F. 
Steel,  of  Philadelphia,  and  that  of  the  American  Bank 
Note  Co.  Mr.  Seebeck  and  the  Hamilton  Bank  Note 
Company  do  not  seem  to  have  applied.  Mr.  Steel,  of 
Philadelphia,  failed  to  comply  with  the  terms  regard- 
ing the  fire-proof  buildings  required.  A  new  advertise- 
ment of  date  of  September  11,  188J),  was  made  and  the 
American  Bank  Note  Company  called  on  for  a  tem- 
porary supply  of  the  old  stamps  under  a  provision  of 
their  old  contract.  At  the  opening  of  the  new  bids 
one  was  from  the  American  Bank  Note  Co.,  of  New 
York,  and  another  from  the  Franklin  Bank  Note  Co., 
of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Steel  being  again  called  on  to  fill 
his  contract  declined,  and  on  the  23d  of  October  the 
contract  was  awarded  to  the  American  Bank  Note  Co. 
for  four  years,  beginning  on  December  1,  1889.  On  the 
basis  of  the  stamps  used  in  the  year  proceeding  March 
31,  1889,  the  contract  for  tne  larger  stamps  was 
$8,426.62  more  than  for  the  same  number  of  the  smaller 
stamps,  though  the  bid  for  the  latter  was  $9, 406. 46  more 
than  the  cost  of  the  same  number  under  the  old  con- 
tract.  The  color  of  the  2-cent  stamp  especially  was 
much  more  expensive  than  any  ink  used  formerly,  and 
this  value  includes  about  two-thirds  of  all  the  adhe- 
sive stamps  of  every  kind.  It  being  found  imprac- 


—  274  — 

ticable  to  get  the  new  designs  ready  by  December  1, 
1889,  the  American  Bank  Note  Company  furnished 
a  sufficient  supply  of  stamps  of  the  old  designs  un- 
til the  new  stamps,  except  the  4  and  5  cents,  were 
placed  on  sale  at  110  of  the  leading  post  offices,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1890. 

These  stamps  cost  the  Department  7  47-100  cents  per 
thousand,  as  against  27-£  cents  paid  for  the  1869  and 
the  early  part  of  the  1870  issue. 

f'The  designs  were  engraved  with  the  utmost  care, 
and  proofs  of  the  dies  passed  many  times  between  New 
York  and  Washington  for  criticism  and  revision.  At 
least  five  different  engravings  were  made  of  the  head 
of  General  Grant  before  the  picture  was  approved." 
The  first  order  for  the  4  and  5- cent  stamps  was  issued 
June  2,  1890,  the  old  styles  being  issued  up  to  that  date. 
'  'The  new  stamps  were  received  with  a  marked  degree  of 
favor  by  the  public  press,  and  many  complimentary  ex- 
pressions regarding  the  change  were  received  from 
eminent  philatelists."  To  Mr  A.  D.  Hazen,  Third  As 
sistant  Postmaster-General,  from  whose  Annual  Report 
for  1890  the  above  account  of  the  history  of  this  issue 
is  taken,  the  thanks  of  stamp  collectors  for  this  first 
recorded  official  mention  of  philatelists  in  the  United 
States  are  justly  due. 

The  usual  description  of  each  value  is  given  in  this 
report  and  also  in  the  official  circular  announcing  their 
issue.  '  This  circular  is  headed  "New  Series  of  Adhe- 
sive Postage  Stamps,  Post-Office  Department,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  February  19,  1890,"  and  is  signed  by  John 
W^anamaker,  Postmaster-General.  After  stating  that  a 
full  revision  of  the  designs  and  styles  of  postage  stamps 
used  in  the  prepayment  of  postage  had  been  in  con- 
templation for  nearly  a  year  past,  but  delayed  to  await 
the  change  of  the  contract,  it  announces  that  the  new 
stamps  will  be  placed  on  sale  Saturday,  the  22d  inst. 


—  275  - 

The  circular  then  gives  the  description  of  the  new 
stamps,  provides  that  all  old  stamps  in  the  post  offices 
must  be  first  disposed  of  and  none  redeemed,  confirms 
the  validity  of  the  issues  of  1861,  18(55)  and  1870,and  the 
invalidity  of  the  issues  of  1847  and  1851,  a  description 
of  which  last  mentioned  issues  is  added  to  the  circular. 
It  further  states  that  there  will  be  no  further  changes 
in  the  current  Special  Delivery,  Postage  Due  or  News- 
paper and  Periodical  stamps.  Stamped  Envelopes  or 
Letter  sheets.  Collectors  are  further  recognized  in  the 
last  paragraph  as  follows  : 

"SPECIMENS. 

"Collectors  and  others  desiring  specimens  of  the  new 
postage  stamps  may  obtain  them  by  purchase  at  the 
leading  post  offices  at  which  a  supply  of  all  denomina- 
tions will  be  kept  on  hand.  No  specimens  of  present 
or  past  issues  are  furnished  directly  by  the  Depart- 
ment." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Department  groups  all  va- 
rieties of  adhesive  stamps  issued  from  1861  into  one  series, 
those  of  1869  in  another  and  those  issued  from  1870  to 
1890  in  a  third  series  irrespective  of  the  several  changes 
in  color  and  design. 

ISSUE  OF  FEBRUARY  22,  1890. 

The  1,  2,  3,  4,  5  and  6  cents  are  all  of  one  design  and 
the  10,  15,  30  and  90  cents  are  all  of  another,  but  very  sim- 
ilar design,  values  in  numerals  and  letters  and  the  por- 
traits being  of  cowse  different  for  each  of  the  several 
values.  The  description  of  the  report  and  circular  is 
very  full  and  is  embodied  in  the  following  : 

First  Deisgn.  Portrait  in  an  upright  oval,  13|xl6i 
mm.  with  heavily  notched  background  defined  by  a 
broad,  colorless  oval,  displayed  on  an  upright,  rec- 
tangular tablet,  19x22|  mm.,  hori /.out ally  lined  and 
stop  chamferred  by  darker  hori/ontal  lines  upon 


—  276  - 

the  side  and  bottom  edges  to  leave  a  shield-shaped 
background.  Beneath  the  oval  on  the  background 
without  inclosing  bands  or  ornaments,  the  value  ex 
pressed  in  full  letters,  in  outline  Roman  capitals, 
shaded  without.  A  solid  colored  band,  conforming  to 
the  upper  half  of  the  oval  and  framed  without  by  a 
broad,  colorless  and  finer  exterior  colored  line  bearing 
the  legend  "United  States  Postage"  in  white-faced 
Roman  capitals,  is  finished  and  supported  on  each  side 
by  an  outlined  foliated  ornament,  defining  a  smaller 
solid  colored  oval  disk  upon  which  is  displayed  a  white- 
faced  Arabic  numeral  denoting  the  denomination. 

Second  Design.  Similar  in  all  respects  except  that  the 
letters  announcing  the  value  are  displayed  on  a 
second  solid  colored  band  conforming  to  the  lower  half 
of  the  oval,  finished  like  the  upper  band,  and  both  ter- 
minated at  the  ends  by  small  ornaments,  the  supporting 
foliated  ornaments  and  numerals  being  placed  in  the 
lower  corners  of  the  tablet.  Plate  impression  19x22£ 
mm.,  in  color  on  white  paper,  perforated  12 

ONE  CENT.  First  design.  Profile  bust,  after  Ru- 
bricht,  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  looking  to  the  left.  1,  1, 
one  cent,  ultramarine-blue. 

Two  CENTS.  First  design.  Profile  bust,  after  Hou- 
don,  of  George  Washington,  looking  to  the  left.  2,  2, 
two  cents,  carmine. 

THREE  CENTS.  First  design.  Profile  bust,  after 
Powers,  of  Andrew  Jackson,  looking  to  the  left.  3,  3, 
three  cents,  purple. 

FOUR  CENTS.  First  design.  Three-quarters  face 
portrait  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  after  a  photograph  from 
life,  looking  to  the  right.  4,  4,  four  cents,  velvet-brown. 

FIVE  CENTS.  First  design.  Three-quarters  face 
portrait  of  General  Grant,  after  a  photograph  from  life, 
looking  to  the  right.  5,  5,  five  cents,  light  brown. 

Six  CENTS.     First  design.     Three-quarters  face  por- 


trait  of  James  A  (iartield.  after  a  photograph  from 
life,  looking  to  the  left.  6,  6,  six  cents,  light  maroon. 

TEN  CENTS.  Second  design.  Three-quarters  face 
portrait  of  Daniel  Webster,  after  a  daguerreotype  from 
life,  looking  to  the  left.  10,  10,  ten  cents,  malori  green. 

FIFTEEN  CENTS.  Second  design.  Three-quarters 
face  portrait  of  Henry  Clay, after  a  daguerreotype  from 
life,  looking  to  the  left.  15, 15,  fifteen  cents,  deep  blue. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Second  design.  Profile  bust  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  after  Cerracchi.  looking  to  left. 
Block  numerals.  30,  30,  thirty  cents,  black. 

NINETY  CENTS.  Second  design.  Profile  bust  of 
Commodore  O.  H.  Perry,  after  Walcott's  statue,  look- 
ing to  the  left.  Block  numerals.  1)0,  90,  ninety  cents, 
orange. 

The  1  and  2-cent  stamps  of  this  issue  are  printed  in 
sheets  of  four  hundred  stamps.  These  have  the  im- 
print over  and  beneath  the  fifth  and  sixth  vertical  rows 
from  each  side  and  across  the  side  of  the  fifth  and  sixth 
horizontal  rows  from  the  top  and  bottom,  with  the 
plate  letter  and  number  beneath  and  above  the  fourth 
and  seventh  vertical  rows  from  each  side.  There  is  no 
perforation  between  the  tenth  and  eleventh  rows  from 
the  top  and  bottom  or  from  the  right  and  left  sides. 
The  sheets  are  cut  along  those  lines  into  four  pieces  of 
100  stamps  each.  There  are,  therefore,  nine  stamps  in 
each  100  not  perforated  on  one  side,  and  either  nine 
not  perforated  at  the  top  or  nine  not  perforated  at  the 
bottom,  besides  one  stamp  not  perforated  at  the  top 
and  one  side  or  at  the  bottom  and  one  side.  Some 
sheets  of  the  2  cents  are  without  the  side  imprints. 
The  larger  denominations  from  3  cents  up  were  printed 
in  sheets  of  200  stamps  with  the  top  and  bottom  im- 
prints in  the  same  position  as  in  the  2-cent  stamps,  but 
no  side  imprint.  There  is  no  perforation  along  the  line 
between  the  tenth  and  eleventh  vertical  rows.  The 


—  278  — 

original  sheet  is  cut  along  this  line  into  two  sheets  of 
100  stamps  each,  so  that  of  these  denominations  there 
are  ten  stamps  in  each  100  unperf orated  on  one  side  or 
the  other,  but  none  unperforated  at  either  the  top  or 
the  bottom. 

The  usual  slight  variations  of  shade, such  as  lighter  or 
darker,  are  to  be  found  of  most  values  and  very 
marked  variations  in  the  color  of  some  values  quite 
worthy  of  note.  The  blue  of  the  1-cent,  the  browns  of 
the  4,  5  and  6  cents  present  at  least  two  distinct  shades 
each.  The  90  cents  is  both  yellow-orange  and  deep 
red-orange.  The  carmine  of  the  2  cents  especially  pre- 
sents every  possible  shade  with  a  carmine  basis.  All 
of  these  are  to  be  found  in  unused  specimens  coming 
directly  from  the  post  offices,  while  used  specimens  as- 
sume so  many  different  tones  as  to  suggest  the  belief 
that  some  of  the  colors  must  be  quite  susceptible  to  ac- 
cidental changes. 

Shortly  after  the  issue  appeared  persons  who  had 
had  the  misfortune  to  have  had  their  2-cent  stamps 
stick  together,  as  they  often  do,  and  had  attempted  to 
soak  them  apart  had  discovered  that  the  water  became 
quickly  tinged  with  carmine.  If  a  number  of  used 
stamps  were  to  be  removed  from  the  adhering  paper 
and  the  new  carmine  2  cents  stamps  predominated 
largely  and  little  Avater  was  used  in  proportion  to  the 
bulk  of  the  stamps,  all  the  stamps  were  found  with  the 
paper  tinged  with  pink  of  very  nearly  the  hue  formerly 
employed  for  the  much  desired  "proprietaries  on 
pink,"  which  probably  accounts  for  the  numerous 
mysterious  finds  of  many  of  the  U.  S.  stamps  on  pink 
paper.  The  daily  press  of  course  announced  that 
Uncle  Sam  was  being  cheated, that  the  Bank  Note  Com- 
pany instead  of  using  permanent  ink  as  the  contract 
called  for,  at  a  cost  of  $12  or  $13  a  pound,  was  using  a 
very  inferior  and  much  less  costly  aniline  ink  with 


-    279  — 

much  greater  coloring  power.  It  was  suggested  that 
the  aniline  ink  yielded  quickly  to  an  ammonia  test,  the 
liquid  being  deeply  tinged  and  the  color  left  on  the 
stamp  reduced  to  a  dull  yellow-brown,  known  as  min- 
eral-orange, while  the  permanent  ink  that  should  have 
been  used  could  not  be  so  effected.  Various  ex- 
planations have  been  given  of  the  fact  that  the  carmine 
of  the  2  cents  will  come  off  as  it  does.  Whatever  may 
he  the  true  explanation,  this  quality  probably  accounts 
for  many  of  the  differences  in  the  hue  of  various  speci- 
mens. 

Another  peculiarity  of  the  issue  is  that  specimens 
may  be  found  which  vary  in  size,  being  shorter  and 
wider  by  perhaps  $  mm.  than  the  ordinary  stamps. 
This  is  more  apt  to  be  the  case  with  used  than  with  un- 
used specimens,  though  the  latter  are  to  be  found.  This 
variation  is  probably  due  to  some  shrinkage  of  the  pa- 
per. The  1,  2,  4  and  90-cent  stamps  have  been  so 
chronicled. 

ISSUE  OF  1890. 

Plate  impression  19x22  mm.,  printed  in  color  on 
white  paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,    blue. 

2  cents,  carmine. 

3  cents,  purple. 

4  cents,  dark  brown. 

5  cents,  yellow-brown. 

6  cents,  red-brown. 
10  cents,  green. 

15  cents,  dark  blue. 
30  cents,  black. 
90  cents,  orange. 


COLUMBIAN  SERIES,  1892. 

Postmaster-General  Wanainaker  in  his  annual  report 
dated  December  5,  1892,  says  in  substance  that  the  idea 
of  issuing  a  special  series  of  stamps  with  illustrations 
to  commemorate  the  discovery  of  America  by  Colum- 
bus was  conceived  by  the  Department  soon  after  the 
authorization  by  Congress  of  the  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  was  in  the  line  of  a  custom  connected  with  Na- 
tional jubilees  that  seems  to  be  growing  among  the 
great  nations  of  the  world.  The  necessary  arrange- 
ments for  the  issue  of  snah  stamps  were  completed  in 
September,  1892.  The  subjects  selected  were  con- 
spicuous events  connected  with  the  discovery  of  Amer- 
ica, the  delineation  of  which  involved  the  engraved  re- 
production of  pictures  and  other  works  of  art  some- 
what crowded  with  personages,  and  to  do  justice  to  these 
subjects  it  was  found  necessary  to  adopt  a  larger  size 
of  stamps  than  those  in  current  use.  A  different  form 
of  stamp  of  the  same  height  and  nearly  double  the 
width  of  the  current  issue  was  decided  on,  and  the 
work  was  immediately  commenced  so  that  the  stamps 
might  be  put  on  sale  on  the  1st  of  January,  1893. 

The  Department  was  under  contract  to  obtain  all  its 
supplies  of  postage  stamps  from  the  American  Bank 
Note  Co.  until  the  31st  of  December,  1893,  but  had  the 
right  to  extend  the  contract  for  three  months  and  dur- 
ing its  existence  to  call  for  a  three  months'  supply  at 
any  time.  It  was  bound  also  to  pay  for  any  supplies 
the  company  had  on  hand  at  the  expiration  of  the  con- 


—  281  — 

tract  not  to  exceed  one  and  a  half  months'  supply. 
As  it  was  found  that  extra  machinery  and  more  floor 
space  would  be  required,  as  well  as  engravings  that 
would  be  used  only  one  year,  the  cost  of  manufacture 
would  be  considerably  greater  than  double  that  for  the 
ordinary  stamps.  The  number  expected  to  be  required 
was  three  million  thousands.  The  price  finally  agreed 
upon  was  seventeen  cents  per  thousand,  with  an  ex- 
tension of  the  existing  contract  for  six  months  longer. 
The  Department  was  paying  eighteen  cents  per  thou- 
sand for  the  special  delivery  stamps,  which  are  about 
the  same  size  as  the  Columbian  stamps. 

"The  introduction  of  the  new  stamps,  though  not  de- 
signed primarily  for  that  object,  will  prove  to  be  a  rev- 
enue measure  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  public 
service.  The  net  profits  from  their  issue — that  is,  the 
extra  amount  beyond  the  ordinary  revenue  that  would 
have  resulted  from  the  sale  and  use  only  of  ordinary 
stamps— may  fairly  be  placed  at  $2,500,000."  "It  has 
been  found  that  the  issue  of  a  new  series  of  stamps 
stimulates  correspondence  by  mail,  business  concerns 
get  out  new  advertisements  and  circulars,  to  which 
more  attention  is  drawn  when  the  new  stamps  are  first 
seen  on  the  envelopes."  "The  consequent  interchanges 
of  thought,  encouragement  to  trade  and  increased  rev- 
enue to  the  postal  service  will  be  in  every  way  desir- 
able " 

"The  introduction  of  the  Columbian  series  of  post- 
age stamps  will  contribute  in  a  marked  way  to  the 
great  recognition  given  by  th'e  government  of  the 
United  States  to  the  Columbian  Exposition;  and  they 
will  create  for  it,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  an 
interest  that  will  help  it  financially  and  in  many  other 
ways.  In  addition  the  'mania,'  as  it  is  called,  for  col- 
lecting postage  stamps  as  specimens,  is  universal 
throughout  the  world.  It  affects  every  class  and  con- 


—  282  — 

dition  of  people,  and  is  not  confined  by  age  or  sex.  It 
is  shared,  perhaps,  by  millions  of  people,  from  the 
school  boy  and  girl  to  the  monarch  and  millionaire, 
and  the  value  of  stamps  in  private  collections  which 
will  never  be  drawn  upon  to  pay  postage,-  may  safely 
be  placed  at  many  millions  of  dollars.  The  beauty  and 
unique  character  of  the  new  Columbian  stamps  will 
cause  their  sale  in  large  quantities,  simply  in  use  for 
collections;  and  not  only  will  they  be  purchased  in 
single  or  partial  sets  by  collectors,  but  in  view  of  the 
limited  time  in  which  they  will  be  issued,  they  will  be 
accumulated  in  great  quantities  by  dealers  and  others 
to  meet  future  demands." 

Mr.  A.  D.  Hazen,  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster- 
General,  in  the  same  report  repeats  many  of  the  same 
statements,  and  adds :  "The  same  idea  had  been 
carried  out  in  a  limited  way  during  the  Centennial  Ex- 
position at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  by  the  issue  con- 
currently with  that  event  of  a  special  design  of  stamped 
envelopes  appropriate  to  the  celebration.  The  measure 
was  not  only  calculated  to  prove  a  popular  one  but  to  be 
the  means,  through  the  sale  of  the  stamps  to  collectors, 
and  by  specially  stimulating  the  use  of  stamps  by  the 
public,  of  adding  largely  to  the  revenue  of  the  Depart- 
ment." He  says  : 

"The  collecting  of  postage  stamps  is  deserving  of 
encouragement,  for  it  tends  to  the  cultivation  of 
artistic  tastes  and  the  study  of  history  and  geography, 
especially  upon  the  part  of  the  young,  by  the  exam 
ination  and  comparison  of  stamps  of  different  nations 
of  the  world,  and  to  a  more  accurate  knowledge  of 
their  postal  systems.  The  new  stamps  will  be  pur- 
chased in  large  quantities  simply  for  the  use  of  collec- 
tions, without  ever  being  presented  in  payment  of 
postage;  and  the  stamps  sold  in  this  way  will,  of 
course,  prove  a  clear  gain  to  the  Government. 


—  288  — 

"The  original  model  of  these  stamps  was  devised  by 
this  (Third  Ass't.  P.  M.  G.)  office,  and  the  work 
throughout  from  the  approval  of  the  finished  designs 
to  the  preparation  of  the  engravings,  the  selection  of 
colors  and  the  printing  of  the  stamps,  has  been  given 
close  personal  supervision.  It  is  gratifying  to  add  that 
the  work  is  all  finely  executed  and  that  the  stamps  are 
unquestionably  superior  to  anything  of  the  kind  that 
has  ever  come  under  the  observation  of  the  Depart- 
ment. 

"The  illustrations  on  these  stamps  were  selected  after 
a  careful  and  exhaustive  examination  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  pictures  and  other  works  of  art  that  had  been 
specially  collected  for  the  purpose,  and  the  appro- 
priateness of  these  selections — undoubtedly  the  best 
that  could  have  been  made,  both  on  account  of  their 
artistic  merit  and  their  historical  accuracy — has  been 
sanctioned  by  the  judgment  of  several  competent 
authorities  to  whom  they  were  submitted  for  inspec- 
tion. 

"The  new  stamps  are,  however,  not  intended  to  dis- 
place the  current  series  of  stamps,  but  will  be  in 
addition  thereto;  so  that  anyone  needing  postage 
stamps  will  be  able  to  procure  either,  or  both  kinds,  as 
he  may  prefer.  The  subjects  on  the  1-cent,  2-cent, 
5-cent,  6-cent,  50-cent  and  $2  stamps,  are  copied  from 
the  works  of  American  artists." 

"The  portrait  of  Columbus  is  the  same,"  says  the  re- 
port of  the  Postmaster-General  himself,  "as  that  used 
on  the  souvenir  coin,  a  plastei  cast  of  the  same  having 
been  kindly  furnished  by  the  Treasury  Department. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  subjects  do  not  strictly  fol- 
low the  logical  sequence  of  events,  it  having  been 
thought  better  to  illustrate  the  leading  denominations 
of  stamps — those  in  every-day  use  by  the  public — with 
the  representations  of  the  more  important  events  con- 


—  284  — 

nected  with  the  discovery.  The  denominations  in  the 
new  series  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  regular  series, 
except  that  the  50  cents  is  substituted  for  the  90-cent 
stamp,  aud  an  addition  is  made  of  the  denominations 
of  $1,  $2,  $3,  $4,  $5;  these  latter  denominations  being 
intended  for  large  parcels  of  first-class  matter  to  foreign 
destinations,  their  use  having  been  several  times  here- 
tofore recommended  by  the  postmasters  at  a  numbei  of 
the  principal  offices  from  which  it  is  convenient  to 
send  matter  requiring  the  employment  of  such  high 
values." 

The  circular  announcing  the  issue,  which  is  dated 
from  the  Post  Office  Department,  Washington,  D.  C., 
December  5,  1892,  announced  the  intention  to  put  the 
stamps  on  sale  at  all  post  offices  on  January  1,  1893, 
states  the  denominations  to  be  issued,  gives  their  size 
and  description,  states  that  the  series  is  not  intended  to 
replace  the  present  series  but  to  be  in  addition  thereto 
during  the  calendar  year  1893,  and  that  the  current 
series  would  be  furnished  to  postmasters  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  satisfy  the  calls  of  those  who  might  prefer 
them  to  the  Columbian  stamps  and  would  be  continued 
in  use  after  the  Columbian  stamps  are  withdrawn. 

ISSUE  OF  JANUARY  1,  1893. 


On  an  oblong,  rectangular  tablet  (lf|  by  |  inches 
by  the  official  description)  horizontally  lined,  its  four 
edges  stop  chamf  erred  by  rectangular  hatching,  are  dis- 
played in  the  upper  left  and  right  corners  respectively, 
the  dates  1492-1892,  in  white-faced,  outlined  and  ex- 
teriorly shaded  Arabic  numerals;  and  just  beneath,  in 
a  doubly  waved  line  extending  across  the  whole  width 
of  the  tablet,  of  corresponding  white-faced,  outlined 
and  exteriorly  shaded  Roman  capitals,  the  legend 
''United  States  of  America;"  beneath  this  again  an 
arched  solid  colored  label,  edged  above  and  below  by  a 


—  285  — 

broad,  white  and  fine  exterior  colored  line  brought 
round  at  each  end  in  an  outlined,  foliated  ornament 
enclosing  an  oval,  inscribed  in  full  letters  "-Postage," 
and  value  on  the  body  of  the  label  in  white-faced 
Roman  capitals,  on  the  terminal  ovals  in  white-faced 
Arabic  numerals  of  denomination,  standing  alone  in 
the  cent  values  but  accompanied  with  the  $  sign  in 
the  dollar  values;  across  the  bottom  of  the  tablet 
another,  but  narrower,  solid  colored  label  defined  also 
by  a  white  and  a  fine  exterior  colored  line  and  inscribed 
with  a  legend  denoting  the  subject  of  the  picture,  in 
small  white-faced  capitals,  Roman  for  the  1  and  50 
cents,  the  $1,  $2,  $3  and  $5,  but  block  letters  far  all  the 
other  values;  the  whole  forming  a  frame  for  the  com- 
memorative picture  displayed  in  a  sunken  panel,  31x16 
mm.,  defined  by  a  broad,  white  line  between  fine 
colored  lines. 

ONE  CENT.  Picture,  "Columbus  in  Sight  of  Land,' 
after  the  painting  by  Wm.  H.  Powell,  in  circular  frame 
of  a  broad,  white  line  bounded  by  fine  colored  lines. 
On  the  right  is  seated  an  Indian  warrior  with  head 
dress  of  eagle  plumes,  and  on  the  left  an  Indian  squaw 
and  child. 

Two  CENTS.  Picture,  "Landing  of  Columbus,  "after 
the  painting  by  Vanderlyn  in  the  Rotunda  of  the 
Capitol  at  Washington. 

THREE  CENTS.  Picture,  "Flag  Ship  of  Columbus," 
from  a  Spanish  engraving.  The  Santa  Maria  in  mid- 
ocean. 

FOUR  CENTS.  Picture,  "Fleet  of  Columbus,"  from  a 
Spanish  engraving.  The  caravels  Santa  Maria,  Nina 
and  Pinta  in  mid-ocean. 

FIVE  CENTS.  Picture,  "Columbus  Soliciting  Aid  of 
Isabella,"  after  the  painting  by  Brozik  in  the  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art,  New  York. 

Six  CENTS.      Picture,     "Columbus     Welcomed     at 


—  286  — 

Barcelona,"  after  a  panel  of  the  bronze  doors  of  the  Cap- 
itol, by  Randolph  Rogers,  with  statues  of  Ferdinand 
and  Bobadilla  in  niches  at  the  sides. 

TEN  CENTS.  Picture,  "Columbus  Presenting  Na- 
tives," after  the  painting  by  Luigi  Gregori  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Notre  Dame,  South  Bend,  Ind. 

FIFTEEN  CENTS.  Picture,  "Columbus  Announcing 
his  Discovery,"  after  the  painting  by  R.  Baloca,  at 
Madrid. 

THIRTY  CENTS.  Picture,  "Columbus  at  La  Rabida," 
after  the  painting  by  R.  Maso. 

FIFTY  CENTS.  Picture,  "Recall  of  Columbus,"  after 
the  painting  by  A.  G.  Heaton  at  the  Capitol. 

ONE  DOLLAR.  Picture,  "Isabella  Pledging  her 
Jewels,"  after  the  painting  by  Munoz  Degrain  at 
Madrid. 

Two  DOLLARS.  Picture,  "Columbus  in  Chains," 
after  the  painting  by  Lentze,  at  Providence,  R.  I. 

THREE  DOLLARS.  Picture,  "Columbus  Describing 
Third  Voyage,"  after  the  painting  by  Francisco  Jover. 

FOUR  DOLLARS.  Picture,  "Isabella  and  Columbus." 
Portraits  in  circular  medalions  set  in  the  panel,  that  of 
Isabella  from  a  well  known  likeness  of  her  at  Madrid; 
that  of  Columbus  from  the  Lotto  portrait. 

FIVE  DOLLARS.  Picture,  ''Columbus,"  after  the 
plaster  cast  made  after  the  Lotto  portrait  as  a  model 
for  the  Souvenir  half  dollar, on  a  circular  medallion  set 
on  the  panel,  with  allegorical  figure  of  America  on  the 
right  and  of  Liberty  on  left;  both  seated. 

Plate  impression  34x22j£  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

1  cent,       Antwerp-blue 

2  cents,     purple-maroon. 

3  cents,     medium  shade  of  green. 

4  cents,     ultramarine. 

5  cents,     chocolate-brown. 


—  287  - 

6  cents,      royal  purple. 
10  cents,     Vandyke-brown. 
15  cents,     dark  green. 
30  cents,      Sienna  brown. 
50  cents,     carbon-bine. 

1  dollar,   rose-salmon. 

2  dollars,  toned  mineral-red. 
.     3  dollars,  light  yellow-green. 

4  dollars,  carmine. 

5  dollars,  black. 

All  the  values  of  this  issue  are  printed  in  sheets  of 
two  hundred  stamps  each,  with  the  imprint  of  the 
American  Bank  Note  Company  placed  above  and  below 
the  third  and  fourth  vertical  rows  from  each  side,  and 
across  the  ends  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  horizontal  rows 
from  the  top  or  bottom,  thus  appearing  eight  times  on 
the  full  sheet.  The  plate  letter  is  placed  above  and 
below  the  second,  and  the  plate  number  above  and  be- 
low the  fifth  vertical  row,  from  each  side.  The  space 
between  the  tenth  and  eleventh  horizontal  rows  is  not 
perforated  but  the  full  sheet  is  cut  across  this  line  into 
sheets  of  100  stamps  each.  One  stamp  in  ten  will 
therefore  be  found  unperforated  at  the  top,  or  un- 
perforated  at  the  bottom,  but  none  unperforated  at  the 
sides  or  with  two  unperforated  edges,  as  in  the  1  and 
2-cent  of  the  previous  issue.  The  top  and  bottom  hor- 
izontal rows  of  perforations  are  a  little  farther  from  the 
adjoining  horizontal  rows  than  the  other  horizontal 
rows  are  from  each  other. 

There  are  already  to  be  found  lighter  and  darker 
shades  of  the  1  and  3  cents,  two  widely  different  shades 
of  the  10  cents,  and  innumerable  shades  of  the  2  cents. 

The  "logical  order"  of  the  subjects  represented  on 
these  stamps  may  be  interesting  to  note.  The  portrait 
of  Co  umbus  might  properly  be  placed  either  at  the 
beginning  or  end  of  the  series,  and  those  of  Columbus 


and  Isabella  fall  properly  in  the  center  or  at  the  end  of 
the  line.  Most  collectors  would  have  given  the  design 
of  the  $5  stamp  the  first  place,  probably,  and  that  of 
the  $4  stamp  the  last.  The  historical  order  of  the  re- 
mainder would  determine  their  position  as  follows  : 
The  design  of  the  $5,  30,  5,  50  cents,  $1,  3,  4,  1,  2,  6, 
15,  and  10  cents,  $2,  $3,  $4.  It  should  be  noted  also 
that  the  scene  depicted  on  the  $1  stamp  is  of  rather 
doubtful  authenticity,  the  weight  of  authority  being 
rather  against  its  actual  occurrence.  The  painter  has 
portrayed  a  scene  suggested  by  the  exclamation  of 
Isabella  that  she  was  ready  to  pledge  her  jewels  if 
there  was  not  money  enough  in  the  Royal  Treasury 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  expedition. 

Probably  no  issue  of  stamps— not  even  the  famous 
Mulready  envelope — has  ever  provoked  the  public 
comment  in  and  outside  of  the  daily  press  as  has 
greeted  the  Columbian  issue,  not  only  in  the  United 
States  but  all  over  the  civilized  world.  The  opinions 
expressed  are  widely  different  as  to  their  artistic 
merits,  the  advisability  of  such  minute  details  of  de- 
sign for  the  postage  stamp,  the  wisdom  of  the  selection 
of  subjects  and  the  order  of  their  arrangement,  the 
character  of  the  work  displayed  in  their  execution. 
Every  detail  has  been  commented  on  from  the  seeming 
error  in  the  B  of  Columbus — which  in  many  copies  is 
said  to  be  an  R  in  the  1-cent  stamp — to  the  fatigued  air 
of  Liberty  in  the  $5  stamp.  Every  want  of  harmony 
in  the  ideas  of  the  artists  who  produced  the  works 
copied  has  been  the  subject  not  only  of  jest  but  of 
serious  comment.  "The  inaccuracy  of  history,"  we 
are  gravely  told,  '  'needs  no  better  illustration  than  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  known  whether  Columbus  wore 
his  beard  or  not,  as  he  is  depicted  without  it  and  writh 
it  in  two  scenes  that  must  have  taken  place  so  near  to- 
gether, that  if  he  were  really  clean  shaven  in  the  first 


—  289  — 

he  could  not  have  had  the  beard  of  the  second.  But 
which  is  correct  ?"  In  some  localities,  in  fact,  the  2 
and  1-cent  values  are  distinguished  as  "with"  or 
'•without."  But  the  chief  objection  to  them  is  their 
size,  about  which  much  rude  jesting  has  been  mingled 
with  honest  complaint  by  those  who  do  not  seem  to 
have  known  that  they  could  have  the  old  stamps  if 
they  chose.  On  the  19th  of  January,  1893,  however, 
it  was  reserved  for  a  Senator  of  the  United  States  to 
commit  the  monumental  folly  of  displaying  his  an- 
imosity to  the  Postmaster-General,  his  ignorance  of  the 
fact  that  every  citizen  had  the  option  of  using  the  old 
or  the  new  as  he  preferred,  his  unfamiliarity  with  the 
law  of  the  land  that  gives  the  power  to  the  Postmaster- 
General  "from  time  to  time  to  adopt  such  improve- 
ments in  postage  stamps  and  stamped  envelopes  as  he 
may  deem  advisable,"  by  the  introduction  of  a  joint 
resolution : 

"That  the  Postmaster-General  of  the  United  States 
be  instructed  to  discontinue  the  sale  of  the  so-called 
Columbian  postage  stamps,  except  to  such  persons 
as  may  specially  call  for  them,  and  be  instructed  to 
continue  to  keep  on  sale  the  ordinary  postage  stamps 
in  use  before  the  printing  of  the  so-called  Columbian 
stamps."  Evidently  the  distinguished  candidate  for 
notoriety  had  not  read  the  report  of  the  Postmaster- 
General  or  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster-General,  the 
official  circular  of  the  Department  or  the  daily  papers, 
or  he  would  hardly  have  asked  Congress  to  meddle 
with  the  performance  of  the  duty  enjoined  by  a 
statute,  by  a  petty  joint  resolution  instructing  the  doing 
of  precisely  what  had  been  done.  It  may  have  been  a 
huge  joke  to  the  mind  of  the  honorable  Senator  to 
emphasize  the  stupendousness  of  this  brilliant  display 
of  his  talents,  in  a  speech  of  unbridled  hilarity  at- 
tempting to  ridicule  the  idea  that  the  stamps  bought 


—  290  — 

by  collectors  would  pay  for  the  issue,  denominating 
them  "chest  protectors."  Little  did  he  know  that 
the  stamps  in  one  short  month  in  five  cities  only,  ex- 
ceeded the  sales  of  the  same  month  in  the  previous 
year  by  the  sum  of  more  than  $200,000,  and  that 
the  total  sales  of  the  Columbian  stamps  so  incon- 
venient and  despised,  in  those  five  cities  alone  was 
more  than  $870,000,  and  about  74  per  cent  of  the  entire 
sales  of  postage  stamps;  although  the  public  could 
have  the  others  if  they  wished.  Nor  did  he  know  that 
the  English  press  was  saying  about  the  same  time, 
speaking  of  a  newly  issued  English  stamp  compared  in 
workmanship  and  taste  with  the  new  Columbian 
stamp,  "there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  production  of 
the  United  States  must  make  us  hide  our  heads  in 
shame  and  despair." 

ISSUE  OF  FEBRUARY  28,  1893. 

A  circular  dated  at  the  Post  Office  Department, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  February  28,  1893,  says  : 

On  the  1st  of  March,  1893,  the  Department  will  begin 
the  issue  of  the  following  articles  of  stamped  paper  : 

1.  An  8-cent  postage  stamp  of  the  Columbian  series, 
intended  for  use  in  the  payment  of  the  reduced  fee  in 
registered  matter.      This  stamp  is  of  the  same  general 
style  of  the  other  denominations  of  Columbian  stamps, 
and  bears  a  reproduction  of   the  picture  painted  by 
Francisco  Jover,  the  original  of  which  is  now  in  Spain, 
entitled  "Columbus  Restored  to  Favor."     The  color  of 
the  stamp  is  magenta-red. 

2.  An  8-cent  postage  stamp  of  the  ordinary  series, 
intended  also  for  use  in  the  payment  of  the  reduced 
registry  fee  by  those  who  prefer  it  to  the  Columbian 
stamp.     The  stamp  is  of  the  same  size  as  other  denom- 
inations of  stamps  of  the  regular  series  now  current 
(known  generally  as  the  series  of   1890)  and  bears  a 


—  291  — 

three-quarters  face  portrait  of  General  Sherman  in 
military  dress,  after  a  photograph  by  Sarony,  with  sur- 
roundings of  the  same  general  character  as  those  of 
other  denominations  of  the  series  from  1  to  6  cents. 
The  color  of  the  stamp  is  lilac.  The  remaining  sec- 
tions refer  to  the  double  foreign  reply  card  and  the 
Columbian  envelopes. 

ISSUE  OF  MARCH  1,  1893,  COMPLETING  THAT  OF  JAN- 
UARY 1,  1893. 

EIGHT  CENTS.      Picture,    "Columbus    Restored     to 
Favor,"  after  the  painting  by  Franciso  Jover  in  Spain. 
Plate   impression  34x22|  mm.,   in    color,    on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

8  cents,  inajenta-red. 

ISSUE  OF  MARCH  1,  1893,  COMPLETING  THE  SERIES  OF 

1890. 

EIGHT  CENTS.  First  design.  Three-quarters  face 
portrait  of  General  Sherman,  after  a  photograph  by 
Sarony;  lilac. 

Plate  impression,  19x22  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

8  cents,  lilac. 


XXV.— CONTINUED. 

(See  Pages  204-208). 

SPECIHL  DELIVERY  STflMP. 

ISSUE  OF  1888. 

Same  type  as  the  Special  Delivery  Stamp  of  October 
1,  1885,  (for  description  see  page  205  ante)  but  with  the 
words  At  a  Special  Delivery  Office  changed  to  At  any  Post 
Office. 

Plate  impression  21x27  mm.,  in  color,  on  white 
paper,  perforated  12. 

10  cents,  dark  blue. 

On  page  207  ante  will  be  found  an  extract  from  the 
circular  of  August  10,  1886,  stating  that  this  change 
would  be  made.  In  the  Postmaster-General's  Report 
for  1886,  full  particulars  of  the  history  of  the  Special 
Delivery  system  and  its  workings  under  the  Acts  of 
March  5,  1885,  and  its  extention  to  all  post  offices  on 
October  1,  1886,  under  the  Act  of  August  4,  1886, 
are  given  together  with  the  circulars  issued  to  post- 
masters under  date  of  August  10,  1886,  from  which  the 
quotation  was  made,  and  further  on  it  is  stated  that 
the  change  in  the  stamp  had  already  been  made.  From 
the  same  report,  however,  it  also  appears  that  while 
3,699,500  of  these  stamps  had  been  issued  up  to  June, 


—  293  — 

1886,  only  1,118,820  had  been  issued  in  the  same  period 
at  the  special  delivery  offices.  The  next  year  the  issue 
was  only  1,245,000  while  the  number  used  had  been 
only  1,219,000  at  all  the  offices.  The  next  year,  or  up 
to  June  30,  1883,  only,  another  1,220,267  more  were 
used  or  in  other  words  the  entire  number  used  did  not 
equal  the  number  issued  the  first  nine  months,  though 
another  1,331,790  had  been  issued.  As  these  are  the 
numbers  issued  to  the  various  post  offices,  and  not 
to  the  public,  there  was  evidently  a  greater  number  of 
the  older  design  still  in  the  post  offices  than  the  com- 
bined number  issued  in  the  second  and  third  years; 
and  as  postmasters  were  required  to  use  up  the  old 
issue  and  the  American  Bank  Note  Company  to  exhaust 
its  reserves  before  issuing  the  new  design,  it  was  a  long 
time  before  the  new  design  got  into  the  hands  of  the 
public,  and  then  it  was  at  some  of  the  smaller  offices. 
The  exact  date  of  issue  was  not  announced  in  any 
official  circular  and  they  were  first  chronicled  in  the 
stamp  journals  of  February,  1888. 

ISSUE  OF  JANUARY  10,  1893. 

Shortly  after  the  Columbian  stamps  came  into  use,  a 
circular  dated  at  the  Post  Office  Department,  January 
10,  1893,  stated  :  On  and  after  this  date,  the  color  of 
all  Special  Delivery  stamps  furnished  by  the  Department 
to  postmasters  will  be  light  orange  instead  of  dark  blue 
as  heretofore;  the  design  of  the  stamp,  however,  re- 
maining unaltered.  This  change  of  color  is  made  on 
account  of  a  similarity  in  the  general  appearance  of 
the  special  delivery  stamp  and  the  1-cent  stamp  of  the 
Columbian  series,  a  similarity  that  if  allowed  to  remain 
might  lead  to  mistakes  in  the  treatment  of  mail  matter 
bearing  either  of  these  two  stamps. 

The  Special  Delivery  stamps  heretofore  issued  will 


—  294  — 

still  be  valid  and  postmasters  must  exhaust  the  stock  of 
them  now  on  hand  before  calling  for  supplies  of  the 
new  color.  JOHN  WANAMAKER, 

Postmaster-General. 

The  new  stamps  began  to  appear  occasionally  late  in 
February,  1893. 

ISSUE  OF  1893. 

Same  type  as  the  Special  Delivery  stamp  of  1888. 
Plate  impression  21x27  mm.,  in  color,  on  white  paper, 
perforated  12. 

10  cents,  light  orange. 


XXVIII—  CONTINUED. 

(See  page  249). 

NOTE.  On  page  252  there  is  a  mistake  in  giving  the 
color  of  the  seal  used  on  packages  of  stamps.  Line 
four  should  read,  brown  and  black,  pink  and  vermilion. 

NOTE.    Page  253  should  be  continued  as  follows  : 

Sometime  during  the  year  1888  a  change  took  place 
in  the  "Officially  Sealed"  seal.  The  design  which  had 
before  been  beautifully  printed,  and  as  before 
described  in  a  clear  yellow-brown,  was  reproduced  in 
a  much  coarser  form,  said  by  some  catalogues  to  be 
a  wood  engraving  and  printed  in  a  muddy  reddish- 
brown,  roughly  perforated.  This  is  easily  distinguished 
bv  the  color  and  by  the  head  in  the  central  oval  which 
has  the  face  shaded  by  large  dots  which  run  into  each 
other  and  form  blo'ches  and  lines,  entirely  disfiguring 
the  lower  part  of  the  face.  The  hair  is  so  blended  with 
the  background  on  the  left  side  of  the  oval  as  to  appear 
nearly  to  fill  it,  the  border  on  the  left  has  the  ninth  line 
from  the  heavy  colored  line  which  indicates  the  bevel 
of  the  interior  panel,  heavier  than  the  eight  lines  which 
shade  the  frame,  while  in  the  original  issue  this  ninth 
line  is  much  lighter  than  the  shading  lines. 

Wood  block  impression,  in  color,  on  white  paper, 
43>(x27  mm.,  perforated  12. 

No  value  —  reddish-brown     on     lavender 
tinted  paper;  perforated  12. 


The  execution  of  this  seal  was  so  inferior  that  it  was 
almost  immediately  changed  for  a  lithograph  of  the 
same  size  and  design.  The  impression  is  again  fairly 
clear,  the  face  shaded  by  smaller  dots  and  the  hair 
denned  from  the  background  and  the  lines  of  the  left 
side  of  the  frame  of  uniform  thickness.  The  color 
is  a  much  clearer  brown. 

ISSUE  OF  1888. 

Lithographed  impression,  in  color,  on  white  paper, 
43>(x27  mm. 

No  value — brown  on  lavender  tinted  paper, 
perforated  12. 

ISSUE  OF  1891. 
No  value — brown  on  lavender  tinted  paper, 

rouletted. 
No  value — brown  on  lavender  tinted  paper, 

unperforated. 

There  is  another  official  seal  which  is  typographed 
and  used  for  closing  packages  opened  by  mistake. 
This  has  a  rectangular  frame  50x29  mm.,  composed  of 
a  Greek  pattern  between  rows  af  pearls  making  a  bor- 
der 2  mm.  wide,  divided  by  two  dotted  lines  6  mm. 
apart,  horizontally.  Between  these  lines  "Officially 
Sealed"  in  large  black  capitals,  above  in  small  Old 
English  text  "U.  S.  Post  Office  Department"  in  a 
curved  line,  below  "Opened  through  mistake  by,"  with 
a  dotted  line  for  signature. 
Typograph  impression,  in  color,  on  white. 

No  value— black  pink-tinted  paper. 


CONCLUDING    NOTES. 

In  the  seven  years  that  have  elapsed  since  the  body 
of  this  work  was  printed  the  adhesive  postal  issues  of 
the  United  States  have  been  augmented  by  some  dozens 
of  stamps,  which  have  been  described  in  the  preceding 
additional  chapters,added  to  some  hundreds  of  unbound 
copies  recently  brought  from  the  warehouse,  both  the 
publisher  and  editor  being  desirous  of  bringing  the 
work  up  to  date.  A  larger  interest  in  the  stamps 
of  our  country  has  in  the  mean  time  stimulated  the 
researches  of  collectors,  and  many  inquiries  have  been 
made  both  of  publisher  and  editor  concerning  points 
that  were  either  not  made  sufficiently  plain  in  the  orig- 
inal book  or  passed  over  as  too  evident  to  require 
notice.  It  has  been  thought  therefore  that  a  few  notes 
upon  such  of  these  matters  as  have  been  most  frequently 
asked  about  would  not  be  unacceptable. 

To  all  who  have  taken  sufficient  interest  in  the  work 
to  communicate  their  discoveries  or  ask  for  further  in- 
formation upon  points  that  seemed  obscure,  both  pub- 
lisher and  editor  desire  to  tender  their  thanks  and  of 
all  readers  of  it,  as  now  amended,  request  such  further 
inquiry  or  comment  as  may  suggest  itself,  particularly 
if  the  specimens  inquired  about  accompany  the  com- 
munication. Should  a  new  edition  be  called  for,  such 
inquiry  will  much  facilitate  the  improvement  of  the 
work. 

POSTMASTEKS  STAMPS  (pages  25  to  73.) 

There  are,  we  are  well  aware,  many  things  concerning 
these  stamps  which  we  should  all  like  to  know,  but 
little  can  be  added  as  yet,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  to 


—  298  — 

what  is  said  in  the  book.     It  may  be  worth  while  to 
note  the  following,  however  : 

STAMP  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  POSTMASTER  (page  29). 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  opportunity  and  incli- 
nation has  not  yet  presented  itself  to  some  collector 
to  try  and  reconstruct  the  plate  of  this  stamp,  as  many 
double  copies  have  turned  up  from  time  to  time. 
There  is  a  marked  variety  not  specially  mentioned  in 
our  book  which  has  an  extra  white  line  at  the  bottom. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  ST.  Louis  POSTMASTERS  (page  39). 

When  it  was  stated  that  "the  plate  consisted  of  six 
stamps  three  of  each  value,"  the  arrangement  seemed 
to  be  so  obvious  that  we  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to 
state  specifically  what  adhering  specimens  demonstrate, 
that  the  upper  row  consisted  of  the  three  five  cent 
varieties  and  the  lower  of  the  three  ten  cent  varieties. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  NEW  HAVEN  POSTMASTER  (page  51). 

Since  the  publication  of  the  book,  two  specimens  of 
this  stamp,  the  first  very  faint  and  spoiled  afterwards 
by  an  attempt  to  restore  it,  and  the  other  more  recently 
found  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Sterling,  make  it  necessary  to  cor- 
rect the  remark  about  the  number  known  on  the  2d 
line  of  page  53. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  POSTMASTER  (page  54). 

Much  fruitless  search  has  been  made  for  the  plate  of 
these  stamps.  Our  remark  that  "this  plate  has  how- 
ever been  preserved  among  the  archives  of  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island,"  has  not  therefore  been  verified.  The 
hostility  of  the  editor  to  the  reprint  in  all  its  forms 
leads  him  to  hope  that  the  very  precise  information, 
given  kim  some  years  before  the  book  was  written,  was 


incorrect,  or  that  so  apparently  worthless  a  thing  us  an 
old  plate  has  been  destroyed  and  will  never  be  found. 

STAMPS  OF  THE  BALTIMORE  POSTMASTER  (page  62.) 

Some  additional  varieties  of  the  envelope  and  stamp 
issued  by  Mr.  Buchanan  have  been  found  and  cata- 
logued. They  present  no  new  type  but  differences 
rather  of  paper,  so  far  as  "we  have  been  able  to  gather. 

Very  recently  an  unsevered  pair  upon  the  original 
envelope  has  been  discovered, 

STAMPS  OF  THE  MILLBURY  POSTMASTER  (page  65). 

Some  small  additions  to  the  history  of  this  stamp 
might  perhaps  be  added  here.  It  is  more  important  to 
mention  that  only  two  or  three  more  copies  have  turned 
up.  One  of  them  is  a  perfect  unused  and  unblemished 
copy. 

All  search  for  the  other  stamps  mentioned  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  day  has  so  far  been  quite  unavailing. 

ISSUE  OF  1847  (page  76). 

It  has  been  lately  stated  officially  that  the  portrait  of 
Franklin  in  the  5-cent  value  of  this  issue  is  after  the 
painting  by  John  B.  Longacre. 

ONE  CENT  "CARRIER"  (EAGLE)  (pages  97  and  109). 

By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  D.  Rice  who  possesses  an 
entire  sheet  of  this  stamp  we  are  enabled  to  correct  the 
error  on  page  109  which  the  custom  of  calling  the 
divided  parts  of  a  sheet,  as  printed,  led  to.  Instead  of 
"100  stamps  on  the  plate"  there  are  two  panels  of  100 
stamps  each,  separated  by  a  space  10m m  wide,  exactly 
divided  by  a  colored  line  parallel  to  the  bottom  of  the 
stamps,  and  the  imprint  appears  only  at  the  bottom 
of  each  panel,  and  not  at  the  top  of  either  panel. 


—  300  — 

ISSUE  OF  1851. 

Collectors  seem  to  have  much  trouble  in  distinguish- 
ing the  marked  varieties  of  some  of  the  values  of  this 
issue.  The  difficulty  lies  in  the  fact  that  none  of  the 
priced  catalogues  designate  them  clearly. 

ONE  CENT  UNPERFO RATED,  (pages  85,  89,  97,  191). 

The  ordinary  stamp  of  this  type,  unperf orated,  has  a 
tine  colored  exterior  line  parallel  to  the  outer  edge  of 
the  solid  colored  labels  that  carry  the  inscriptions  at 
both  top  and  bottom. 

The  "Variety"  of  this  type,  unperforated,  lacks  one 
or  both  these  lines.  Though  the  catalogues  do  not 
mention  them,  there  are  three  varieties  of  this  type,  un- 
perforated, besides  the  common  type  : 

Type,  unperforated,  with  exterior  line  at  top  and 
bottom. 

a,  Variety,  unperforated,  with  exterior  line  at  top 
only. 

b,  Variety,  unperforated,  with  exterior  line  at  bottom 
only. 

c,  Variety,  unperforated,  without  either  exterior  line. 
Note  also  that  the  full  design  is  finished  on  the  edges, 

top,  bottom  and  sides,  in  ornamental  flourishes  out- 
lined in  thicker  and  thinner  lines.  From  some  imper- 
fection of  the  proeess  of  duplication  of  the  die  on  the 
plate,  of  printing  or  possibly  in  some  cases  from  wear 
of  the  plates,  many  of  these  fine  lines  are  missing  in 
some  specimens  and  the  extreme  ends  of  the  flourishes 
are  not  perfect.  This  is  particularly  apparent  in  the 
projecting  ornaments  of  the  corners.  In  the  upper 
corners,  above  the  ends  of  the  label,  is  an  outlined  scroll 
in  the  form  of  a  half  circle  with  a  branch  in  the  hollow. 
The  upturned  ends  should  all  terminate  in  a  snuill  ball. 
Very  frequently  the  balls  are  imperfect.  So  also  there 


—  301  - 

is  a  leaf-like  ornament  in  the  lower  corners  which 
should  be  outlined  all  round  the  end  in  color,  but  this 
too  is  frequently  defective.  None  of  these  are  the  va- 
rieties mentioned  in  the  book  or  in  the  catalogues, 
though  often  taken  by  collectors  as  specimens  "with 
ornaments  removed"  or  "partly  removed."  The  re- 
marks on  page  98  that  "there  is  little  appreciable  differ- 
ence between  the  stamps  in  the  sheets  except  in  the 
thickness  ot  the  lines  bordering  or  shading  the  orna- 
ments" referred  to  these  defects  and  may  not  have 
made  the  facts  plain.  "The  varieties"  of  this  type  un- 
perforated  can  hardly  come  from  "worn  plates,"  as 
has  been  stated,  for  the  lines  are  evidently  removed 
and  the  ornaments  cut  off  sharply,  and  too  uniformly 
to  have  been  the  result  of  accident.  Variety  a  comes 
apparently  from  the  top  lines  of  the  sheet,  b  from  the 
bottom  lines  and  c  from  the  middle  lines  though  there 
are  some  of  the  middle  stamps  with  nearly  perfect 
lines.  "Variety  "c"  is  mentioned  at  the  bottom  of 
page  114  as  an  "oddity"  from  the  altered  plate,  "varie- 
ties a  and  b  not  then  being  known  unperforated. 

ONE  CENT  PERFORATE  (pages  110,  113,  191). 

The  ordinary  stamp  of  this  type,  perforated,  has  not 
only  the  exterior  line  of  both  labels  removed  but  the 
ends  of  all  the  ornaments,  top,  bottom  and  sides  are 
more  or  less  cut  off,  forming  many  varieties  of  minor 
importance,  such  as  specimens  with  all  the  little  orna- 
ments at  the  side  of  the  oval  entirely  removed  on  one  or 
both  sides  and  that  in  endless  variety.  But  these  are 
not  the  varieties  of  the  book  or  the  catalogues. 

The  ' '  variety, "  perforated,  of  the  catalogues  is  exactly 
like  the  common  unperforate  stamp,  it  is  notjvery  easy 
to  find  perfect  specimens  of  this  variety,  for  the  reason 
stated  in  the  book,  that  the  perforations  usually  cut  into 


—  302  — 

the  exterior  line  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  labels. 
Such  must  not  be  mistaken  for  the  varieties  mentioned 
as  without  the  top  or  the  bottom  exterior  line.  Of  the 
perforated  stamp  there  are  then  : 

Common  type,  no  exterior  line  to  labels. 

a,  Variety  with  exterior  lines  at  top  and  bottom. 

b,  Variety  with  exterior  lines  at  top  only. 

c,  Variety  with  exterior  lines  at  bottom  only. 
These  all  exist  upon  the  same  sheet  and  probably  the 

unperforate  varieties  which  correspond  are  from  the 
same  plate.  There  exist,  however,  other  perforate 
sheets  which  do  not  contain  any  of  the  varieties  but 
only  the  common  type.  In  one  of  these  there  is  a  col- 
ored line  added  at  the  top  of  all  the  stamps  of  the  upper 
row,  and  another  colored  line  drawn  below  each  of  the 
stamps  in  the  lower  row. 

The  middle  paragraph  of  page  114  might  have  men- 
tioned also  that  some  sheets  were  perforated  down  the 
central  colored  vertical  line,  though  generally  there  was 
no  perforation  down  this  line  which  was  intended  to 
indicate  where  the  full  sheets  as  printed  Avere  to  be  cut 
into  half  sheets  for  distribution. 

THREE  CENTS,  1851  (pages  85,  89,  98,  191). 

On  page  86  in  the  description  of  the  three  cents  un- 
perforated  a  part  of  the  design  is  described  thus  : 
"  The  whole  is  surrounded  at  a  little  distance  by  a  col- 
ored line  forming  a  rectangle,"  in  other  words  there  is 
a  tine  colored  line  outside  and  parallel  to  the  solid  col- 
ored labels  holding  the  inscriptions,  which  line  joins  the 
vertical  side  lines  and  forms  the  rectangular  frame. 
This  is  the  common  stamp  unperf orated.  There  are 
many  minor  varieties  showing  extra  vertical  lines  down 
the  sides,  split  lines,  etc.,  as  noticed  on  pages  98  to 
107.  There  are  also  specimens  to  be  found  that  do  not 
show  any  side  lines  whatever. 


—  303  — 

THREE  CENTS  PERFORATED  (pages  110,  151.  191). 

Of  the  three  cents  perforated  there  are  two  varieties 
of  importance  described  on  page  115.  The  common  one 
has  not  the  top  and  bottom  exterior  line  of  the  common 
unperf orate  stamp  while  the  variety  has.  We  are  not 
aware  that  the  common  type  without  these  lines  has 
ever  been  found  im perforated.  There  are  many  minor 
varieties  of  this  type  as  described  on  pages  115  to  120, 
such  as  those  with  extra  vertical  lines  at  the  sides,  split 
lines,  etc.,  but  none  of  these  are  the  "variety"  of  the 
catalogues.  The  "  variety"  is  that  which  has  the  out- 
side, top  and  bottom  lines,  in  other  words  is  exactly  the 
same  type  as  the  common  or  perforated  stamp. 

What  the  book  calls  minor  varieties  of  both  these 
types  unperforated,  perforated,  and  altered  plates  are 
considered  by  some  writers  to  result  from  "worn 
plates."  Undoubtedly  some  of  the  specimens  we  tind 
are  from  "worn  plates,"  but  the  wearing  of  the  plates 
certainly  cannot  produce  extra  lines,  double  lines  or 
change  the  relative  positions  of  the  parts  as  described 
in  the  book.  All  these  may  be  found  in  clear  impres- 
sions and  adhering  specimens  in  pairs,  strips,  blocks 
and  whole  sheets  abundantly  verify  the  statement  that 
they  exist  in  the  plates. 

FIVE  CENTS  PERFORATED  AND  UNPERFORATED  (pages 
94,  107,  110,  120,  191). 

The  portrait  of  Jefferson  is  said  to  be  after  Stewart's 
painting. 

Some  collectors  have  called  our  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  descriptions  of  the  varieties  on  pages  120  and 
121,  limited  to  those  with  full  projections,  partly  re- 
moved projections,  and  no  projections,  does  not  include 
in  their  opinion  all  the  possible  varieties.  It  is  quite 
true  that  there  many  variations  of  the  variety  with  the 


—  304  — 

projections  partly  removed,  so  many  that  it  would  be 
impossible  accurately  to  indicate  them  all.  In  some, 
very  little  of  the  projections  is  removed,  in  others  nearly 
all  and  there  are  all  degrees  between,  and  generally 
differences  in  the  amount  removed  at  the  top  and  that 
removed  at  the  bottom.  In  the  variety  with  the  pro- 
jection all  removed  there  are  minor  varieties,  some 
showing  even  a  hollow  into  the  stamp,  others  without 
any  projection  at  the  top  but  part  of  a  projection  at  the 
bottom  and  vice  versa. 

The  variations  of  shade  in  the  perforated  stamps  are 
so  numerous  that  perhaps  they  are  not  sufficiently  com- 
mented on  in  the  book.  The  description  of  shades  is 
the  most  difficult  part  of  a  writer's  task,  for  the  same 
words  do  not  indicate  the  same  shades  to  different  per- 
sons, nor  do  all  distinguish  exactly  the  same  shades. 
The  rose  shade  is  the  one  called  in  the  book  "  almost 
rose  ",  in  some  catalogues  "  red  brown  ",  and  perhaps 
the  best  designation  is  that  of  "dull  red."  It  is  not  the 
more  common  red  brown,  specimens  of  which,  partic- 
ularly when  canceled  with  red  ink, seem  to  be  constantly 
mistaken  for  the  rarity.  The  rarity  is  of  very  uniform 
color,  not  very  intense,  and  not  varying  much  in  the 
darker  and  lighter  portions  of  the  stamp.  It  is  not 
possible  to  describe  it  perfectly. 

TEN  CENTS  UNPEKFOKATED  AND  PERFORATED  (pages 
108  and  121). 

In  some  catalogues  may  be  found  mentioned  a  "va- 
riety "  of  the  ten  cents  perforated,  in  other  catalogues 
a  ten  cents  perforate  "with  ornaments  removed,"  and 
various  collectors  have  sent  us  both  perforated  and  un- 
perforated  specimens  which  they  thought  answered 
these  descriptions.  While  it  is  quite  true  that  frequently 
the  perforated,  and  occasionally  the  unperforated 
stamps,  are  more  or  less  defective  in  the  corners,  we 


—  305  — 

have  seen  none  that  appeared  to   be   more  than  acci- 
dental variations  from  a  worn  plate  or  bad  printing. 

TWELVE  CENTS  (108,  121). 

Many  inquiries  have  been  made  of  us  concerning  a 
variety  of  this  stamp  "with  an  extra  white  line,"  to 
which  we  have  been  unable  to  give  any  answer.  The 
possessor  of  one  of  these  varieties  will  relieve  the 
anxiety  of  many  searchers  if  he  will  send  it  to  either 
the  editor  or  publisher  for  description. 

THIRTY  AND  NINETY  CENTS,  UNPERFOKATED  (page  181). 

Many  inquiries  have  also  been  made  as  to  the  exis- 
tence of  specimens  of  these  values  unperforated  and 
our  opinion  is  asked  as  to  their  character.  Concerning 
them  it  can  only  be  said  that  they  exist,  specimens  hav- 
ing been  found  unused  in  a  lot  in  New  York,  but  their 
issue  or  use  in  this  condition  has  never  been  verified. 

ISSUE  OF  1861  (pages  133-135). 

Specimens  of  the  one  cent,  three  cents,  ten  cents  and 
thirty  cents  without  grill  and  with  fairly  large  margins 
apparently  unperforate  have  been  sent  us  for  examina- 
tion. We  regard  all  of  them  with  great  suspicion  as 
we  think  they  could  all  be  manufactured  from  the  corners 
of  the  sheets.  If  genuine  they  are  only  accidents  of 
manufacturers. 

To  the  observations  on  page  135  should  be  added  the 
24  and  30  cents,  doubly  perforated  at  the  sides. 

To  the  varieties  of  the  3  cents  without  grille  on  page 
159,  should  be  added  that  peculiar  shade  generally  cat- 
alogued as  "pink."  It  is  a  distinct  color  and  the  shades 
of  the  common  tint  called  rose  should  not  be  mistaken 
for  it  as  they  often  are.  It  is  a  delicate  shade,  a  pale 
carmine  with  just  a  touch  of  blue  in  its  composition. 


—  306  — 

ISSUE  OF  1867  TO  1869  (pages  138,  etc). 

The  distinctive  characteristic  of  this  issue  as  distin- 
guished from  the  preceding  is  the  grille  or  embossing. 
We  have  been  frequently  asked  about  these,  particularly 
as  our  measurements  differ  slightly  from  those  of  other 
writers.  The  difference  is  so  slight  that  it  is  hardly 
worth  notice.  Those  given  in  the  book  were  all  made 
from  unused  specimens  and  have  been  since  justified. 
It  is  probable  that  used  stamps  having  been  moistened 
would  give  different  results.  Mr.  Scott  in  a  recent 
article  on  grilles  says  that  variations  will  be  found  in 
measuring  grilles  and  thinks  this  depends  somewhat  on 
the  depth  they  are  impressed. 

In  describing  the  3  cents  grilled  all  over,  the  book 
states  that  the  straight  lines  appear  raised  upon  the 
back  of  the  stamp  and  the  crosses  depressed.  This  is 
the  usual  arrangement  though  this  as  well  as  other 
grilles  can  be  found  just  the  reverse  of  the  description 
given  in  the  book. 

Two  specimens  of  the  5  cents  and  one  of  the  30  cents 
"grilled  all  over"  have  been  found  since  the  book  ap- 
peared. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Scott  chronicles  a  specimen  of  the  three 
cents  grilled  with  a  rectangle  measuring  18  by  15mm., 
composed  of  24  rows  of  19  small  squares  projecting  on 
the  face  of  the  stamp,  or  of  the  same  pattern  as  the 
grilled  all  over.  We  are  fortunately  able  to  verify  the 
existence  of  this  as  a  distinct  variety. 

It  may  be  of  advantage  to  note  further  that : 

Our  first  variety  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  1. 

The  above  variety  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  2. 

Our  second  variety  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  3. 

Our  varieties,  page  139,  7th  and  8th  line  are  not  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Scott. 

Our  third  variety  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  5. 


—  307  — 

Our  variety  page  139,  23rd  line  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  4. 

The  remaining  18  varieties  on  pages  139  and  140  are 
not  mentioned  by  him  nor  is  the  "oddity  "  on  page  140. 

Our  fourth  variety  is  Mr.  Scott's  type  6. 

There  are  many  oddities  to  be  found  which  result 
from  the  misplacing  of  the  paper  on  the  embossing  ma- 
chine, such  as  parts  of  two  grilles  on  the  sides,  at  the 
top  and  bottom  of  the  stamp,  or  even  a  little  piece  of  a 
grille  in  each  of  the  four  corners. 

There  are  others  much  more  rare  which  are  produced 
by  putting  the  sheet  twice  through  the  machine.  Such 
is  the  oddity  described  on  page  140,  and  another  which 
has  t\vo  grilles  each  of  12  by  17  rows  of  squares,  bat  nine 
of  the  squares  in  each  of  four  vertical  rows  are  common 
to  the  two  grilles,  though  they  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  any  more  heartily  impresed  than  those  which  are 
not  doubly  impressed 

These  monstrosities  all  have  a  certain  interest  as 
showing  that  the  grilles  are  spaced  on  the  plates,  rolls, 
etc.,  just  as  the  stamps  are,  and  if  the  sheets  are  mis- 
placed in  the  machine  the  grilles  will  be  misplaced. 

It  is  needless  to  speak  of  the  many  attempts  that  have 
been  made  to  imitate  the  grille.  So  far  none  have  been 
very  successful.  The  caution  given  by  one  writer  to 
avoid  all  grilles  that  are  not  placed  with  their  edges 
parallel  to  those  of  the  stamps,  is  we  think  of  little 
value.  The  forgers  have  as  a  rule  placed  their  imita- 
tions quite  as  skillfully  as  the  originals.  If  the  sheet 
was  not  placed  accurately  in  the  machine  the  grille  was 
not  in  its  place  and  the  above  cited  monstrosities  show 
that  it  was  not  always  so  placed.  A  specimen  in  our 
possession  shows  still  another  possibility.  The  sheet 
after  the  stamp  was  printed,  gummed  and  perforated 
seems  to  have  been  accidentally  folded  or  pleated.  Ex- 
amined on  the  back  there  are  7  perfect  vertical  rows  of 


—  308  — 

17  raised  squares  on  the  left ;  then  4  diagonal  rows  of 
17  depressed  squares  crossing  four  partial  rows  of  15, 
11,  7  and  4  raised  squares,  these  rows  being  shortened 
at  the  top  ;  then  three  rows  of  2,  5  and  11  squares 
shortened  at  the  bottom  and  crossed  also  by  the 
diagonal  rows  and  then  4  more  perfect  rows  of  17  raised 
squares  each.  The  creases  where  the  paper  was  folded 
are  plainly  visible  and  the  rows  on  the  right  are  1 
square  higher  than  those  on  the  left. 

FIVE  CENTS,  GRILLED,  (pages  140,  141). 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  5  cents  is  spoken  of  in  the 
book  only  with  the  smaller  or  fourth  type  of  grille  12 
by  16i  or  17  rows.  A  single  copy  not  very  clearly  im- 
pressed has  come  under  our  notice  which  appears  to 
have  the  medium  or  14  by  17  rows  grille. 

ISSUE  OF  1869,  (page  144). 

Exception  has  been  taken  to  the  statement  on  page 
154  that  there  was  an  error  in  the  plate  which  produced 
the  reversed  pictures  of  the  15  and  30  cents  value  and 
that  it  is  probable  that  no  copies  of  these  errors  were 
circulated.  The  existence  of  several  copies  of  each 
value  in  the  collections  of  various  parties,  even  if  can- 
celed would  not  disprove  the  statement,  which  was 
made  on  very  good  authority,  and  was  given  as  the  rea- 
son why  all  the  plates  of  the  two  colored  varieties  were 
cut  down  to  100  instead  of  150  stamps. 

But  as  there  were  two  impressions  necessary  for  each 
sheet  it  would  be  quite  possible  for  the  errors  to  be 
made  afterwards  by  a  mere  reversing  of  the  sheet.  It 
would  be  quite  as  possible  that  some  such  sheets  should 
get  into  circulation,  and  circulated  or  uncirculated 
by  intention,  specimens  of  all  four  values  with  reversed 
pictures  are  in  existence. 

None  of  these  stamps  impressed   in  two  colors  are 


—  309  — 

easy  to  tint!  perfectly  centered,  that  is  with  the  picture 
exactly  where  it  should  be.  Surprise  has  been  ex- 
pressed more  than  once  that  the  colored  lines  and  dots 
to  be  found  on  some  specimens  were  not  alluded  to  in 
the  book.  When, the  book  was  written  the  editor  had 
never  seen  a  specimen  without  these  lines  which  were 
guide  lines  for  placing  the  pictures  and  did  not  con- 
sider the  matter  of  interest.  An  examination  of  many 
hundreds  of  the  several  values  demonstrates  that  there 
are  at  least  traces  of  them  in  all  clean  distinct  copies. 

For  the  sake  of  the  curious  in  all  matters  relating  to 
U.  S.  stamps  we  will  mention  the  varieties  we  have 
found. 

In  some  copies  of  the  15  cents  there  is  a  blue  line 
across  the  bottom  and  up  the  right  hand  side  of  the 
st:imp,and  in  the  24  cents  a  purple  line  across  the  bottom 
and  up  the  right  hand  side;  in  both  values  the  point  of 
intersection  is  distinguished  by  an  additional  dot. 
When,  however,  the  picture  is  in  exact  position  these 
lines  fall  on  the  frame  lines.  In  the  30  cents,  red,  and 
in  the  90  cents,  black  lines  and  dots  are  to  be  found  and 
when  the  picture  is  in  position  they  fall  where  the  side 
lines  would  be  if  the  stamp  were  filled  out  to  the  rect- 
angle. 

In  some  cases  too,  blue  lines  and  dots  in  the  30  cents, 
and  red  lines  and  dots  in  the  90  cents  indicate  the  bor- 
ders of  the  unfinished  rectangle.  In  the  15  cents  the 
bottom  brown  line  of  the  frame  is  often  prolonged  be- 
yond the  corners.  In  the  24  cents  a  green  dot  often  in- 
dicates where  the  lower  corner  would  have  been  if 
tilled  out  and  the  lower  border  line  is  often  faintly 
carried  across  the  two  little  niches  at  the  corners  of  the 
tablet  holding  the  numerals  of  value. 

In  some  copies  of  the  15  there  is  also  a  blue  line  per- 
pendicular to  the  blue  bottom  line  with  a  blue  dot  at 


—  310  — 

the  intersection,  this  vertical  line  can  be  seen  crossing 
the  entire  stamp  above  and  below  the  picture,  some- 
times in  the  vertical  of  the  5,  sometimes  in  the  1. 

Very  frequently  there  is  a  blue  dot  only  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  lower  part  of  the  stamp. 

On  other  specimens  there  is  a  dot  both  at  the  middle 
of  the  stamp  and  the  corner,  both  on  the  horizontal 
blue  line  and  also  the  vertical  blue  line  in  the  middle. 

In  other  specimens  we  have  an  extra  brown  line 
parallel  to  the  bottom  of  the  frame,  only  a  blue  dot  at 
the  middle. 

In  some  there  is  a  verticle  brown  line  above  and  be- 
low the  stamp  on  the  middle  line. 

In  another  the  bottom  frame  line  is  prolonged  and  is 
forked  at  the  right,  and  there  is  an  extra  brown  line 
below  this  with  a  brown  dot  on  it  and  an  extra  blue 
line  above  with  a  blue  dot  on  it,  the  dots  being  about 
1mm.  to  the  right. 

In  another  of  the  same  arrangement  the  blue  line  can 
be  traced  across  the  entire  stamp. 

In  one  specimen  only  there  was  a  blue  line  and  dot 
on  the  left  corner. 

In  a  specimen  without  the  diamond  there  were  found 
two  parallel  blue  lines  with  a  vertical  blue  line  at  the 
middle  of  the  stamp,  a  blue  dot  on  the  intersection. 

In  another  a  single  blue  line  with  dot  at  the  middle 
but  no  trace  of  a  verticle  blue  line. 

24  cents,  some  specimens  had  only  the  horizontal 
purple  line. 

30  cents,  some  specimens  showed  only  the  horizontal 
blue  line  without  dot.  others  the  line  with  dot  and  red 
corner  dots. 

90  cents,  some  specimens  show  only  the  bottom  black 
line,  others  only  a  black  side  line,  many  show  also  a 
faint  red  line  at  top,  bottom  or  sides. 


—  311  — 

ISSUE  OF  1870. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  book  describes  two  grilles 
on  this  series,  13  by  15  squares  and  10  by  13  squares. 
The  h'rst  is  Scott's  type  8.  Of  the  second  he  does  not 
speak,  but  mentions  a  7  cents  with  12x17  rows  with 
some  doubt.  Many  other  curiosities  might  be  cited  in 
this  issue.  There  are  the  same  parts  of  grilles  on  the 
sides  or  top  and  bottom.  The  curious  impression  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Thorne,  7  cents  w.ith  32  squares  in 
length,  etc. 

There  are  also  nearly  every  possible  combination  less 
than  13  by  15^  rows  as  the  grijje  seems  to  have  worn 
out  gradually  until  we  have  specimens  of  only  3  rows 
of  10  squares,  and  others  in  which  hardly  two  rows  are 
of  the  same  length. 

ISSUE  OF  1873. 

Of  the  issue  without  the  grilles  not  much  needs  to  be 
adde'd  to  what  is  said  in  the  book. 

The  five  cents  brown  with  the  head  of  Garfield  may 
be  found  in  several  varieties  depending  on  the  amount 
of  shading  over  the  shoulders. 

In  one  there  is  absolutely  no  shading  ai)ove  either 
shoulder.  The  noat  meets  the  pearled  border  between 
the  llth  and  12  pearl  from  the  bottom  on  the  right  side 
of  the  stamp,  and  on  the  12th  pearl  on  the  left  side. 

In  the  specimen  with  the  heaviest  shading,  we  have 
the  background  on  the  right  below  a  line  drawn  from 
the  crease  of  the  collar  on  the  shoulder  up  to  the  10th 
pearl  from  the  bottom  shaded  by  intensifying  the 
diagonal  lines  of  the  hatching,  while  the  background 
above  the  shoulders  on  the  left  of  the  stamp  is  also 
shadowed  from  very  dark  below  up  into  the  background 
but  there  is  no  sharp  line  of  demarkation  as  on  the 
right  side. 


—  312  — 

Between  these  two  extremes,  that  without  shadows 
and  the  above,  there  seemed  to  he  several  gradations, 
such  as  a  shadow  on  the  right  below  a  line  drawn  from 
a  point  half  way  between  the  bottom  of  the  collar  and 
the  frame  up  to  the  8th  pearl  above  apparently  made 
by  five  dark  vertical  lines  Avhile  on  the  left  side  the 
shadow  is  defined  by  a  wavy  outline  from  the  16th 
pearl  from  the  bottom  to  the  intersection  of  the  coat  and 
the  beard. 

There  is  a  peculiarly  dark  shade  of  the  15  cents  besides 
the  dark  and  light  orange  described  in  the  book.  It 
bears  the  imprint  of  the  Continental  Bank  Note  Co., 
and  is  a  deep  red  orange  which  might  easily  be  mis- 
taken for  a  vermilion. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  also  of  a  few  specimens  of 
this  value  which  are  thought  by  their  owners  to  be 
printed  upon  a  finely  ribbed  paper.  The  ribbed  ap- 
pearance wre  believe  to  be  due  to  accidental  causes  al- 
together. 

It  has  also  been  stated  that  there  exists  two  sizes  of 
this  stamp.  Possibly  this  is  the  result  of  a  shrinkage  of 
the  paper. 

There  were  printed  a  few  thousands  of  the  three 
cents  of  this  series,  the  exact  date  we  do  not  know,  upon 
a  double  paper,  that  is,  a  paper  consisting  of  a  very 
thin  sheet  pasted  upon  a  much  thicker  sheet.  It  was  an 
experiment  against  cleaning,  it  being  thought  that  the 
thinner  paper  would  peel  off  of  the  other  if  wet  by  any 
acid.  A  few  specimens  of  these  have  been  found  but 
the  variety  is  one  that  few  will  try  to  find  for  soaking 
will  alone  discover  it. 

POSTAGE  DUE  STAMPS  (page  203). 

Besides  the  two  distinct  shades  of  the  red  brown  in 
which  these  stamps  were  printed  as  noted  in  the  obser- 


—  313  — 

vations,  those  printed  more  recently  are  of  a  decidedly 
red  or  carmine  not  unlike  that  of  the  current  two-cent 
stamp. 

The  enquiry  having  been  lately  made  as  to  whether 
all  the  valin-s  exist  in  all  three  shades  mentioned,  it 
may  In-  well  t<>  state  positively  that  they  all  exist  un- 
u>i'd.  whether  so  issued  for  use  or  not. 

OFFICIAL  STAMPS.   DKPARTMENT  OF   STATE. 

The  double  colors  2,  5.  10  and  20  dollar  stamps  if  we 
may  judge  from  a  complete  sheet  of  the  $20  stamp 
exhibited  at  Chicago,  are  printed  in  sheets  of  ten 
-tamps  onl}*.  in  two  horizontal  rows  of  five  stamps  each, 
with  the  imprint  in  black  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner, 
and  in  green  in  the  middle  of  the  lower  margin  of  the 
-heel.  The  plate  number  also  varies  in  the  two  colors. 

OFFICIAL  SEALS. 

There  are  also  several  other  seals  marked  "officially 
sealed."  of  various  types  and  on  different  colored 
papers.  It  would  seem  that  these  have  been  prepared 
by  some  postmasters  for  their  own  use,  as  since  the 
additional  chapter  upon  these  seals  went  to  press  the 
department  has  denied  the  official  character  of  the  seal 
described  in  lines  18  to  29,  page  21M5. 

It  may  also  be  added  that  the  gieen  Registered  Pack- 
age seal,  pages  241)  and  250,  has  lately  been  found  in 
two  different  varieties,  the  chief  difference  being  in  a 
slight  variation  in  size. 


INDEX. 


Agriculture  Department 230,  243 

Alexandria 28,  60  to  61 

Baltimore 28,  62  to  64,  299 

Baltimore,  Horseman 63 

Brattleboro 28,  48  to  50 

Carrier  Stamps 87.  88,  109,  191.  264 

Columbian  Series. 280,  290 

Compulsory  Prepayment 23,  90,  91 

Eight  Cents.  1 H93 . '. 290.  291 

Eight  Cents,  Columbian,  1893 290.  291 

Eight  Cents,  Newspapers,  1874 218 

Eighty-four  Cents.  Newspapers,  1874. 219 

Executive  Department 230,  235 

Fifteen  Cents,  1866 131.  135,  136.  191 

1867.  medium  grille 139.  140.  191 

1867.  small  grille 141,  142,  191 

1869 .153,  191,  308,  309 

1870 160,  166,  170,  173 

1873..    173,  176 

1883 195,312 

1890 .275,277 

1893 286.  287 

Official 234 

Fifty  Cents,  1893 286,  287 

Fifty  Cents,  Postage  Due .  .202,  312 

Fire  Cents,  1847 76,  78.  79,  80,  191.  265 

1856 94.  107,  191.  303 

1857. 110.  120,  191,  303 

1861 126,  134,  135,  191 

1867 141,  142,  191,  308 

1875 176,  177,  178 

1881 180 

1882 181,  311 

1883 196 

1888 269,  270 

1890 275,  276 

1893 285,  286 


—  315  — 


Five  Cents.  Newspapers.  1865 .191 

Postage  Due 200,  312 

Five  Dollars.  1803 286,  287 

State  Department 237.  313 

Four  C'ents.  1883 187,  189.  196 

1888 269.  270 

1890 575.  276 

1893 285.  280 

Newspapers.  1874 218 

Four  Dollars.  1893 286.  287 

Forty-eight  Onts.  Newspapers,   1874 219 

Forty-eight  Dollars,  Newspapers.   1874 222 

Grille  of  1807 138  to  143,  306.  307 

1869 157 

1870 170,  311 

Hand  Stamps 14  to  18 

Interior  Department 230.  241 

Introduction 13 

ISSIH-  of  1847 74  to  80,  191.   26.").  299 

••       1851 81  to  93.  96  to  109.  191.  263,  300 

"       1855 94,  108.  191 

1856 94  to  96.  107.  108,  191.  303 

1857 110  to  121.  191 

"       1860 111.  191 

1861 122  to  136.  191,  261.  305 

••       1863 131.  191 

1865 209.  191 

"       1866 132.  191 

••       1867 137  to  143.  191.  300.  307 

4'       1869 144  to  157.  191,  260 

"       1870 158  to  173,  191,  260,  311 

"       1873 173,  227,  311 

•        1874 214 

1875 177 

"       1879 201 

••      1882 180 

1883 1 80.  1 89.  1 95 

"       1885 205 

'•       1887 196.  269.  270 

"       1888 269.  270 

"       1890 272,279 

1893 290 

Justice  Department .230.  242 

Millbury 28,  65  to  66.  299 


—  316  — 


Navy  Department 230,  240 

Newspaper  and  Periodical,  1865 209  to  214,  259,  266 

"       Sets 211,266 

"     lOcts 212,266 

"     25cts 213,266 

1874 214  to  226 

New  Haven 28,  51  to  53,  298 

New  York 22,  27,  28,  29  to  35,  298 

New  York  "U.  S.  Mail" 34 

Nine  Cents,  Newspapers,  1874 191.  192.  218 

Nine  Dollars,  "     221 

Ninety  Cents,  1860 ' 112,  121,  191 

1861 129,  135,  136,  191,  305 

1867 141,  142,  191 

1869 156,  191,  309,  310 

1870 169.  170,  173 

1873 173,  176 

1883 .195,  196 

1888 .....269,  270 

1890 275,  277 

Ninety  Cents,  Official 235 

Ninety-s  x  Cents,  Newspapers,  1874 219 

Official  Stamps 227  to  248,  313 

Official  Seals 249  to  253,  295,  296,  313 

Officially  Sealed 250 

One  Cent  Carrier,  Eagle 88,  109,  191,  264  299 

Franklin 87,  109,  191,  264 

1851 85,  89,  97,  191,  300 

1857 110,  113,  191,  301 

1861 125,  133,  135,  191 ,  305 

1867,  medium  grille 139,  140,  191 

1867,  small  grille 141,  142,  191 

1869 149,  191 

1870 .161,  170,  172 

1873 173,  175 

1881 180 

1882 183 

1883 ...195 

1886 183 

1887 183 

1888 196,  268 

1890 275,  276,  277 

1893 285,287 

Newspaper,  1885 224 


—  81?  — 


One  Cent  Ollieial  ..................................  23V 

Postage  Due  .........................  200,  312 

One  Dollar.  1S93  ...............................  2SO.  2*7 

One  Dollar  ami  Niiirt  v-t  w<>  Cents,  Newspaper.  1S74.220 
Philadelphia  .......................................   09 

Pittslieid  ........................................   71 

Postage  Due  ............................  1«IS  to  203,  312 

1,  2,  8.  5  .....................  200.  202,  312 

10.  30,  50  ..................   ......  202.  312 

Postmarks  ....................................  14  to  is 

Post  Obit  um  .......................................  252 

Post  Oilier  Department  ............................  2:11) 

Postmasters  Stamps  ..................  25  to  73.  29*.  299 

Providence  .........................  23.  54  to  5».  72.   7:! 

Seals  ...................................  249 

Seals  for  stamp  packages  ...............  250 

Reprints  ....................................  254.  201; 

St.  Louis  .................................  27  to  47.  2«s 

2  Cents  .................................    17 

5       '  '     .................................  40 

10       ••     .................................   42 

20       "     .................................  44 

Seven  Cents,  1S70  .......  159,  109,  170.  172.  191,  192.  311 

1873  .............................  113.    170 

Oilicial  ..................  •  ..........  234 

Se\  eiitv-two  Cents,  Newspa])ers.  1S74  ..............  2  HI 

six  (  leats,  isoj)  ................................  151,  191 

1<70  .......................  159,  164.  170,  172 

1S78  ...........................  173,  175.  17G 

1SS2  ...........................  1H4.  190.  192 

1S83  ....................................  190 

issii  ....................................  192 

1S90  ...............................  275.  27« 

1S93  ................................  2S5.  2S7 

Newspapers,  1874  .......................  218 

Ollicial  .................................  234 

Sixty  Cents,  Newspapers.  1874  .....................  219 

Sixtv  Dollar-.  Newspapers.  1874  ...................  223 

Six  Dollars,  Newspapers,  1874  ....................  220 

Specimen  Postage  Stamps  .........................  225 

Special  Delivery,  1S85  .......................  204  to  208 

1HS8  .............................  292 

1893  .............................  293 

Split  Stamps  .......................................  89 


State  Department 230,  236.  313 

Ten  Cents.  1847 77,  78,  79,  191 .  206 

1855 1)4,  108,  191    304 

1857 110,  121,  191,  304 

1861 127,  135.  191.  305 

1867,  medium  grille    139.  140,  191 

1867.  small  grille 141,142,191 

1869 151.  1111 

1870 159.  165,  170.  1  73 

1873 173.  175.  176 

1881 180 

1882 185 

1883 185,  186 

1886 196 

1887 186 

1890 275,  277 

1893 286.  287 

Newspapers,  1874 218 

Official 234 

Postage  Due 202,  312 

Special  Delivery 204 

Ten  Dollars,  State ? 237.  313 

Thirty  Cents.  1860 11 1,  112,  121,  191 

1861 129,  135.  136,  191.  3<)5 

•   1867 141.  142.  191 

1869 155.  11)1 .  30S.  309.  310 

1870 168.  170.  173 

1873 173,  176 

1883.... 196 

1888 269.  270 

1890 275.  277 

1893 286,  287 

Official 235 

Postage  Due 202 

Thirty-six  Cents.  Newspapers.  1874 219 

Thirty-six  Dollars.  Newspapers,  1874 222 

Three  Cents.  1851 85,  89,  98.  191.  302 

1857 110,  115.  191.  303 

1861 126,  134,  135.  191 ,  305 

1867  grilled  all  over 138.  191.  306 

"     large  grille 13S,  191.  306 

"     medium  grille.  139.  140,  191,  30(5,  307 

"     small  grille 141,  142.  191,  306,  307 

1 '     im  perforate 142,  191 


—  319  — 

Three  Cents.  1869 150,  191 

1870 163,  170,  172 

1873 178,  175,  176 

1881 180 

1882 184,  186.  190,  192,  312 

1883 196 

1880-7 192 

1887 268,  270 

1890 275,  276 

1893 285.  286,  287 

Official 234 

Newspapers.  1874 191,  192,  218 

Postage  due 200.  312 

Three  Dollars.  1803. 286,  287 

Three  Dollars.  Newspapers,  1874 220 

Treasury  Department 230.  238 

Twelve  Cents,  1851 86,  89,  108,  191,  305 

1857 110.  121.  191 

1861 127,  135,  191 

1867  medium  grille 139.  140,  191 

1867  small  grille 141,  142,  191 

1869 152,  191 

1870 159.  165,  170.  173,  191,  192 

1873 173 

1883 196 

Newspapers,  1874 219 

Official 234 

Twelve  Dollars,  Newspapers.  1874 221 

Twenty  Dollars,  State 237,  313 

Twenty-four  Cents.  1856 95.  108.  191 

'•     18(10 111.  112.  121,  191 

-     I8<n 128.  135.  136.  191.  305 

"     18(57 141.  142,  191 

"     1869 154.  191.  309,  310 

••     1870 167,  170.  173.  191.  192 

"     1873 173.  176 

"     Newspapers,  1874 219 

••     Official 234 

Twentv-l'our  Dollars.  Newspapers,  1874 222 

Two  Cents,  1863 131,  134.  135,  191 

1867,  medium  grille 139.  140.  191 

1867,  small  grille 141,142,191 

1867,  imperforate 142,  191 

1869..    .....  ..150,  191 


—  320  — 


Two  Cents,  1870 162,  170,  172 

1873 173,  175 

1875 * 177 

1881 180 

1882 184,  186 

1883 187,  189,  195 

1887 268,  270 

1890 275,  27(),  277 

1893 285,  287 

Official 234 

Newspaper 218 

Postage  Due 200,  312 

Two  Dollars,  1893 286,  287 

Two  Dollars,  State 237,  313 

Uniform  Postage 23 

Unpaid  Letter  Stamps 200 

Unpetforated  Specimens,  1867 142 

1870 172 

U.  S.  Mail 34 

U.  S.  City  Dispatch  Post 19  to  22 

War  Department 230,  239 

Washington 31,  67,  68 

Worcester. .  .  70 


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